Roses and Sonatas
by Halcyon Eve
Summary: A young farmer must choose between an old love and a new. Lillian has been renamed Alice here. Novel-length fanfiction, rated T with some chapters a bit limey. A few chapters will be rated M later on for limes/lemons, so I will note at the beginning of those chapters when that happens. Completed as of November 27, 2014. Please R&R, thanks for reading!
1. Prologue

**AN:** Thanks for stopping by! This sets up the frame for the story, which is told from the perspective of the main character's granddaughter. The main character (Lillian) is renamed Alice here. The majority of the story is told from Alice's perspective as she narrates it to her granddaughter. Sorry it's so short—it's just the prologue, though! I hope you enjoy reading my story; I'd love to hear what you think of it! And if you enjoy it, you might want to follow it so that you get notified of updates. It's going to be pretty lengthy! Rated T for limes; there may possibly be a chapter or two later on with lemons that warrant an M rating. If so, I'll post a warning at the start of the chapter.

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><p>"Did I ever tell you how I came to marry your grandpa?" Grandma Alice asked me as I set a cup of tea on the little table before her. I sat down in the other comfy old chair in her bay window, where she liked to sit and have her tea while she visited with company or just watched the birds flit around her little garden. She had told me about meeting Grandpa Cam of course, many times. But Grandpa had just died a little over a month ago, and she missed him a lot.<p>

So picking up my tea cup, I replied, "Well, you've told me about how you met, but I'd love to hear about it again, if you wouldn't mind."

Grandma smiled at me, her eyes twinkling mischievously. She knew I was humoring her; Grandma was no fool. "Ah, but did I tell you that I almost didn't marry Grandpa?"

I looked up at her in surprise, the cup frozen halfway to my lips. "What?" I exclaimed. I was a little shocked—she and Grandpa were so devoted to each other, I couldn't imagine them not married. "What happened?" I asked eagerly, my interest finally piqued.

Grandma settled back in her chair, the smile on her lips crinkling her eyes as she prepared to begin her story. "Well, this is how the story went…."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.

**Photo Attribution:** The cover image is titled "Roses & Violin - Still Life 3" and is by Ana Liza, aka livingthroughthelens. It may be viewed on the Flickr website, photo ID 407218566. It is available for public use under the terms of the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. I have not altered the image in any way, other than any resizing that may have occurred as part of the process of uploading it onto this site.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN:** Now the actual story begins, told from Alice's perspective. Most of the rest of the story will be from her perspective, with occasional jumps forward to the present time, which is told from her granddaughter's perspective. Hope you enjoy reading the story!

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><p>My parents came from two small villages that were on opposite sides of a small, craggy mountain. Although the mountain was not very high, the terrain was too rough for most vehicles, so people either walked or rode horseback to get from one town to the other. A trip over the mountains took the best part of a day, so it wasn't something many people did too often, except for the mailman. There had once been a tunnel through the mountain connecting the two towns, but legend had it that several generations ago, rivalry between the two towns had reached such an extreme that the local deity became annoyed at the constant bickering and collapsed the tunnel between. After that, the two towns continued their feud, but it was more or less restricted to the numerous cooking competitions held on the mountaintop between the two villages.<p>

Well, my mother was from the south-eastern village, Konohana, which, due to its climate and the fertile lowlands around it, was focused on raising crops of all sorts. Nearly everyone in the village had at least a garden or some fruit trees, and the farmers there raised field crops or maintained orchards. My mother's parents had a large farm just outside the town, with huge fields of crops and fruit trees. My mother was an only child, so it was expected that she would marry a local boy and take over the family farm.

My father, on the other hand, came from the rival village, Bluebell, on the northwestern side of the mountain. Because the soil there was rockier, it wasn't really suitable for raising crops. But it made for fine pasture, so the farmers there tended more towards raising livestock than crops. My father's parents had a large farm just outside Bluebell with a huge pasture for livestock to graze in as well as a small space for a few crops, although their farm was the only farm in town that had managed to carve out a little space for crops from the rocky soil. Sheep and alpacas did especially well there, and their farm was well known for producing high-quality wool. As with my mom, Dad was an only child, and likewise his parents expected him to marry a local girl and take over the farm in due time.

Contact between the two villages was pretty limited due to the difficulty of traveling, but each season there were four cooking competitions held between the two rival towns. My parents became acquainted through these competitions. My mom was the prettiest girl and the best cook in Konohana, and my dad was the handsomest and strongest boy in Bluebell. So it's not surprising that they noticed each other, but I don't think anyone expected that they would fall in love with each other.

They'd secretly meet on the mountaintop as often as possible, using the excuse of foraging for wild mushrooms and berries or fishing as an excuse to get away. It was pretty romantic, really, but of course they were eventually discovered. Their families both had fits—the rivalry between the towns was at its worst just then—and demanded that they stop seeing each other. So they ran away together, leaving both towns behind.

My grandparents were furious at first, each side blaming the other. But eventually as time passed and they grew older and older, they began to regret their words and actions. They missed their children, and while still upset with them for leaving, they also regretted that they had not seen them for years, and had never seen me at all. They wouldn't even have known of my existence if the cooking festival judge, a man from the famed Gourmet family named Armand, hadn't bumped into my parents at a restaurant. He recognized them and stopped to catch up with them for a while, then carried the news back to the villages at the next competition.

Both families were apparently relieved to hear their children were doing well and pleased to hear they had a child, but they were also angry at being so completely shut out as to not even know of my birth. Afterwards they all altered their wills, leaving their farms to me rather than to my parents. By a strange coincidence, both of my grandfathers died within a year of each other, and both grandmothers died on the same day a few years later, when I was in my very early twenties.

By that time, my parents had a large, successful farm of their own to manage, so they didn't begrudge me my inheritance. I had a younger brother, whom my grandparents evidently didn't even know existed, and whom my parents had been preparing to take over the farm one day. If anything, they were relieved that I now had land of my own, rather than having to split up the family farm between my brother and me. So I packed up my few belongings in a cart, and with my surefooted pony, Lady, to pull it, headed off to inspect my new farms. I would have to choose between them, since it wasn't feasible to work both farms.

The road to the mountain from the town where I was raised approached from the southwest, then forked to go to the two towns. As rough as it was to travel between the villages over the mountain, it was actually even longer to go around the mountain, which had a wide and rocky base. It was most of a day's journey from the fork in the road to either village, and it took two days to travel between via the southern road. As I approached this fork, I loosened my hold on the reins, giving my pony the freedom to pick her route as I tried to decide which farm to visit first. Lost in thought, I barely noticed a fox chasing a rabbit across a clearing to the side of the path until suddenly the rabbit darted across the trail. The fox, in hot pursuit of its prey, dashed across right in the path of my pony, running practically under her nose. Startled, my pony reared up and bolted, and I flew from the cart and landed on the rocky ground. I was knocked unconscious.

The next thing I knew, I heard voices nearby and felt as though I was just waking. I was bruised and sore, but luckily no bones were broken. I discovered that the voices belonged to an older gentleman dressed neatly in a suit and holding an ornate walking stick and to a middle-aged woman in a traditional looking dress and with a hat and veil on her head. I couldn't quite make out their words, but when I opened my eyes, they stopped talking and came closer.

"Are you all right, miss?" the man asked.

"Is anything broken? Do you think you can stand?" the woman added.

I sat up and felt around gingerly, then replied, "I think I'm okay. A fox startled my pony, and I was thrown from my cart when she bolted. I don't think anything is broken, just bruised. I'll try standing…." The gentleman held out his hand and helped me to my feet. I swayed a little, then my head cleared and I steadied myself. I looked around, but there was no sign of my pony or cart. "My pony! My cart! It had all my stuff in it!" I exclaimed in dismay.

"Not to worry, dear," the woman assured me. "We spotted your pony just up the path. She appears unharmed, though she should probably be checked out."

The man added, "As far as we can tell, nothing has been lost from the cart. At least, we didn't see anything strewn about. The cart itself looks in need of a few minor repairs, though."

I looked around and noticed that the sun was quite a bit lower in the sky than I last remembered. I wondered how long I'd been out. "Now why don't you tell us who you are, and where you are headed?" the woman said, looking at me curiously.

"First things first," the man interrupted. "Let us introduce ourselves. I'm Rutger, and I'm the mayor of the village of Bluebell."

"And I'm Ina, mayor of Konohana," the woman added.

"Oh, what luck!" I exclaimed. "My name is Alice, and I've just inherited farms in both villages. I was coming to inspect my farms and to decide which one to live on."

The mayors looked at each other, and I thought I sensed a brief flare of hostility, though maybe I imagined it. "So you must be Paul and Anna's child. We'd heard that their parents had left everything to you," Rutger said.

"And that you'd be coming out to visit both farms and villages soon," Ina added. "Well, why don't you tell us which town you'd like to start out at and we'll get you there and settled. Naturally as a _real_ farmer, you'd be interested in Konohana. We're a traditional village, settled largely by east European and Asian immigrants, and we have wonderful, fertile fields perfect for growing crops."

"Oh, but of course as _true_ farmer, she'll want to focus on livestock as any good farmer would. And Bluebell has the best animals by far—we love animals in our village."

Both mayors glared at each other—there was no mistaking the hostility this time—and then looked at me, waiting for me to choose between them. My head still a little dizzy from my accident, I floundered, trying to think where I should start. Finally, I decided that it might be best to start with the Bluebell farm. I thought I'd give it a try there and see how it went—it was easier to move livestock than to move crops, I thought, if I decided that I preferred to live in Konohana after all.

So I stood up straight, and said "I think I'll start out in Bluebell and see how it goes. Thank you both for your assistance."

Rutger looked triumphant; Ina, evidently disappointed, replied "If that is what you wish. But remember that you will always be welcome in Konohana should you change your mind." With that, she turned on her heel and along the path towards her village.

Rutger walked me to his pony, and insisting that I ride, he helped me up and then went to fetch my pony and cart. When he returned a few minutes later, I saw that Lady appeared slightly lame in one foot and that my cart had some minor damage. Rutger walked alongside me as I rode his pony, leading Lady as he walked and talked, telling me about his village and the people that lived there. My head was in such a state, though, that I didn't take in much of what he said.

He took me to my farm and helped me unload my few possessions. He set the bundles down and suggested I head straight to bed to rest and leave the cleaning and organizing for tomorrow. My head was throbbing by that point, so I was inclined to agree. He said he'd take my pony and cart to the pet shop, to have them looked over and tended to as needed. With that, he wished me a good night and left.

The furnishings in the house were old—the same ones my grandparents had used. The bed was unmade, just a mattress and pillow on a frame and a woolen blanket folded up at the foot. I collapsed on the bare bed, pulled the blanket over me, and was asleep within seconds.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	3. Chapter 2

I awoke the next morning to a light knock on the door. Before I could answer, the door opened and a middle aged woman carrying a basket stepped in. "Hi, I'm Jessica. You're Alice, right? Rutger said you'd hurt yourself and asked me to look in on you, and I brought you some provisions to get you started."

"Oh, hi," I responded, sitting up slowly and yawning. "Sorry, I guess I'm still kind of tired out from yesterday."

"Don't worry about it, my dear. Let's have a look at you and see if you need a doctor." She overrode my protests of health and examined my eyes, gently prodded at my head, checked my arms and legs, and asked me to take a few steps. When I was done, she again looked in my eyes, and apparently satisfied with what she saw, nodded her approval. "Well, it looks to me as though you've nothing worse than some good bumps and bruises. You'll soon be mended. By the by, dearie, you have lovely eyes. I believe my Ash will agree, too!"

She set about making me a cup of tea and laying out a simple breakfast from the supplies she'd brought. As she worked, she told me about her family: Ash, her son, about my age, and Cheryl, her young daughter, twelve years younger than her brother. Her husband, she said, had passed away shortly before Cheryl was born. "Ash, good son that he is, has tried to fill in for his daddy with her. But I'm afraid he's rather inclined to spoil her!" she laughed as she set out a plate of bread, fresh butter, jam, hard boiled eggs, and kippers along with the tea.

I suddenly felt ravenous, and realizing that I hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday, I eagerly sat down to eat after thanking her for her kindness. "Oh, that's what neighbors are for, you know. You go right ahead and tuck in. I need to get back to my farm, so just bring the basket and things on over when you've finished. Then you can meet my kids! I'm just up the road, right before the town plaza. You'll probably see my son in the pasture out behind the house. You'll know him by his red checkered cap. Oh, and Rutger says to tell you that you can pick up your cart and pony at Grady's, right across the road from my farm," she said with a laugh and a wave as she hurried out the door.

After I finished, I went to wash up at the sink and noticed a package on the counter. Pinned to it was a note, saying simply "From Rose, welcome to Bluebell!" I opened it up and found inside a simple peach plaid skirt and blouse, a cherry-red vest and heavy stockings, and a peach kerchief. It was a kind gift, and much appreciated. I hadn't brought many clothes, and the ones I'd had on yesterday had been damaged in my accident. I cleaned up from my breakfast, put the food away, and packed the dishes back into the basket. I washed up and changed into my new outfit, then I headed out to return Jessica's things to her, check on my pony and cart, and explore the village.

As I walked out the door, basket on my arm, I looked around my new farm. I hadn't gotten a good look at it the night before. Now I saw that while the barn and coop appeared to be in decent repair despite their age, the pasture had been neglected and a number of young trees had sprung up in it, particularly at the end farthest from the barn. That would need to be attended to eventually, I thought, as I strolled along the dirt drive towards the town.

Across the road from my driveway was a large, but seemingly abandoned, church with beautiful stained glass windows. Turning up the road towards town, there was a large metal box set just off the road. A sign next to it informed me that this was a shipping container, presumably used as a repository for produce to be shipped out of town. Just beyond that, I saw a cozy farmhouse with a good-sized pasture behind it. Across the street from that was a cute, tiny house at one end of a field running alongside the road. I decided the first must be Jessica's house, and the second must be Grady's. Looking at the second field, I spotted Lady grazing in a far corner, close to the barn. Next to her was a young woman with beautiful auburn hair.

I strolled up to the fence and called out to her, "Hello! How's Lady this morning"

Hearing her name, my pony pricked up her ears and trotted over to me. The girl grinned and followed along. "Well, howdy there! You must be Alice! Rutger was telling us all about y'all moving to our town," she drawled. "So her name's Lady, huh? Well, Lady's just fine this morning. One of her shoes had come clean off, so my daddy had a new shoe put on her and the others all checked. She's just as good as new now!"

"Thank you for taking care of her, uh…."

"Oh, I am so sorry, where are my manners?" the girl giggled. "I'm Georgia, and my daddy is Grady. He runs the pet store here, selling cats and dogs. He also leases horses and sells and repairs carts. I take care of the horses for him. I just love horses, don't you?" she asked, turning to stroke Lady's nose as she spoke. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "My daddy fixed up your cart for you, too. It wasn't too bad, just a little bashed up. You must have had quite a time of it!" she exclaimed.

"Thank you so much for everything, Georgia. Do you mind if I leave her here for a little longer? I'd like to have a look around town, then I'll come by and talk with your father before I head back to my farm."

"Why, certainly! You just go right on ahead. Everyone in town is just so kind, I know you'll love it here. It's so nice to have another young person in town! Besides you and me, there's also Ash across the road there, and then Cam and Laney at the café just up the road, and Eileen—she's a little older than us, but sometimes you'd never guess it!" she said with a musical laugh. I waved and crossed the road towards Jessica's house.

I stepped in and found Jessica at a counter in the front room. Standing next to her was a very pretty young girl, with a selection of items in front of her. Both were chatting, but they stopped and turned towards me when I opened the door. "Oh, hi Alice! My, but you are prompt!" Jessica exclaimed as I returned her basket to her. "This is my daughter, Cheryl. As you can see, we have a little shop here," she said with a smile as she stepped to the back of the house.

Returning without the basket a moment later, she explained that she sold livestock and poultry, and her daughter helped out by selling feed, medicine, and assorted treats that they made for the animals. "And my big brother Ash takes care of all those animals all by himself! Except when I help him, of course," Cheryl piped up. "He's the bestest farmer in the whole world, and the bestest big brother, too!" she exclaimed.

I smiled at her, "I'm sure he is!"

"Why don't you go on back and introduce yourself, dear?" Jessica said. "I'm sure he'd like the company!" So with a smile and a wave, I headed out the door and looked out towards the field.

A short ways off, standing with his back to me, I saw a young man with a red plaid cap, just as Jessica had described. I hopped over the fence and strolled up to him. He turned and looked in surprise, hearing my footsteps approaching. "Oh! I thought you were my sister!" he said, looking confused.

"Hi, you must be Ash. I'm Alice, newly arrived to take over my grandparents' farm."

"Oh, you're Nellie's granddaughter? I was so surprised to hear you might be moving here. I didn't even know she had any relatives until after she died!" he exclaimed, then looked uncomfortable. "Oh, uhh, I mean…."

"No, it's okay," I assured him. "My parents had broken off contact with their parents when they ran away and eloped. My grandparents only heard about me at all from a mutual acquaintance. I don't think they even knew about my younger brother at all. It's kind of sad, really, but… well, what's done is done, right? So here I am, new to town and trying to get acquainted with everyone," I said with a cheerful smile.

Ash brightened up and replied, "I'm so glad you _did_ move here, and I hope you'll like our town. Everyone here is really nice, and since we all liked your grandparents a lot, I'm sure everyone will like you, too. Don't see how they could help it," he muttered, half under his breath, as he gave me an admiring glance. I gave him a startled look, then blushed and asked about the rest of the town to cover my embarrassment.

"Well, across the road is Georgia and Grady," I nodded and mentioned I'd met her just before coming over. "Yeah, she's real nice but kind of horse crazy if you ask me… or anybody! Anyway, just up those stairs past our house is a small store run by Diego and one of his triplet brothers, Enrique. Enrique takes care of their chickens and helps Diego stock the store. They're nice enough, but they kind of keep to themselves. The third brother runs a shop in Konohana. Anyway, past the store is Eileen's house. She's a carpenter. She's really good at it, too. Then there's the town hall, where Rutger and his wife, Rose, live in an apartment upstairs."

"Oh, Rose is the one that sent me these clothes," I exclaimed, looking down at my outfit.

"Yeah, she's real sweet," Ash said, nodding. "She was good friends with your grandma, too. She takes care of the library in the town hall and just kind of looks after everyone in town. Then next there's Howard's Café, which is run by Howard and his daughter, Laney. He's a real character—you'll see when you meet him. He's really nice, though, and so's Laney. Between the town hall and the café is Cam's flower stall. Cam's my best friend. He lives with Howard and Laney. His folks died a few years ago, so since Howard was good friends with his family, he took Cam in and treats him like a son. Then you're back to Grady's pet shop across the street. That's the whole town! Oh, except the church, but it's been abandoned for ages. And your farm, of course!"

"Well, then, I guess I'd better get going, if I'm going to meet everyone and then tackle all the work waiting for me on my farm!" I said with a laugh.

"Oh, yeah, I suppose you'd better…. It's been really nice talking with you. Stop by anytime!"

I grinned and waved as I hopped the fence on the far side and trotted up the stairs towards the store. I caught a glimpse of him staring after me as I pushed open the door and waved again to him before I walked into the small shop.

Standing behind the counter was a short, sturdy, middle-aged Hispanic man with a large, well-groomed, impeccably curled mustache, a bright purple serape draped over his shoulders, and a purple-striped sombrero perched on his head. "Hello, hello! Welcome, stranger!" he cried out as I stepped in. "I'm Diego, and I run this fine shop here!"

I smiled at him and replied, "Hi, I'm Alice. I just arrived in town, so I'm sure you'll see a lot of me!"

"Ahh, Alice! The delightful Miss Nellie's granddaughter, isn't that right? So glad to make your acquaintance! Please, take your time and look around! We carry an ever-changing variety of items!" I didn't have much cash, but I did need a few things. I looked around and decided that, for now, some flour and oil would suffice. I paid for my purchases and dropped them into my rucksack, then headed out back to meet the shopkeeper's brother.

I found him in a small field behind the store, looking lost in thought as he watched a small flock of chickens scratching around. He was dressed identically to his brother, except where his brother's clothing was purple, his was blue. He looked up, startled, as I called out a greeting to him. "Oh, hello, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought and didn't notice you. I don't think we've met… have we?" he said, somewhat uncertainly.

"No, I'm new to town. I'm Alice, and I believe you must be Enrique?"

"Yes, that's me. I tend the chickens and handle procurement for my brother, Diego. I was just thinking of where I might find…." He trailed off, apparently losing himself in thought again. I stood silently for a moment, but when he remained lost in thought, I quietly left, calling a farewell as I hopped over his fence and headed off.

Next came the carpenter's house, a pretty and well-maintained house with stacks of lumber and stone next to it. A young woman, looking as if she was only a few years older than me, stood next to the lumber, looking contemplative. She looked up and smiled as I approached her. "Oh, hello there! Rose mentioned we had a newcomer to town. You must be Alice?"

"Yes, that's right," I said, grinning. "And from a quick inspection of my farm, we'll be getting well acquainted in the future!" I added with a laugh.

She laughed, too, and replied "Any time, just let me know what you need done! I'm Eileen, by the way. Pleased to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you, too! I'll be seeing you soon, I'm sure!" I said before heading over to the town hall next door.

Inside the town hall, I found Rutger at the front desk. He rose to greet me as I walked in, and enquired after my health. "I'm feeling much better today, thanks," I reassured him. "A little battered and a bit tired, but otherwise quite well. Georgia says that Lady is fine, too, and only needed a shoe replaced. I'm out meeting my new neighbors, then I'll stop to pick up Lady and my cart before heading back to my farm. I appreciate everyone's help and concern."

"Oh, certainly, I'm glad to see you out meeting the villagers. Everyone here is very kind, and I'm sure you'll love it here. Here, let me introduce my wife to you," he said, guiding me towards the back of the hall.

A sweet, elderly lady was busily dusting the books on the shelves, humming a happy little tune to herself as she did so. "Rose, my dear? This is Alice," Rutger said as we approached her.

She looked up in surprise, then her face crinkled up with delight. "Oh, Alice! I'm so very glad to meet you! Your grandma Nellie was such a dear friend. I miss her greatly, so I'm so glad you've moved here to take over her farm. Why, my dear! You look just like your daddy. Such a handsome boy he was! Yes, you look very much like him, and like Nellie, too. You have their eyes—such lovely, lovely eyes, the color of storm clouds. But you have your mama's hair, the exact shade of ripe wheat, not brown like your daddy's. Other than that, you look just like him. How are your folks, my dear? Doing well, I hope? I'd love for you to come over to tea sometime so that we can have a good old chat about your family. Do you like your new clothes? I'm so glad that they fit you. Please do come by and have a nice, long visit when you have the time, my dear. It was very nice to meet you." Feeling a little dizzy after that flurry of conversation, I made my way out the door and headed towards the café.

As Ash mentioned, between the café and the town hall was a flower shop. It consisted of a large cart so covered in blooms that it almost looked more like a parade float than a business. A table covered in a blue-violet cloth set up next to it served as a counter. Behind this counter stood an achingly beautiful young man. His caramel-colored hair hung nearly to his shoulders and shone like silk in the brilliant afternoon sun. He wore a cap similar in style to Ash's, only in a purple houndstooth print. He wore a loose, lightweight shirt in pale lavender, untucked, open at the collar, and with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A darker purple vest hung open over his shirt, and a pale yellow string tie was loosely tied around the open collar.

He stood silently contemplating his display, hands tucked into the pockets of his blue-violet trousers. He looked up as I stopped in front of his stall, still frowning with concentration. His eyes were beautiful, soft green and heavily fringed with thick, light brown lashes. I felt my heart pounding as I looked into his eyes. He scowled at me for just a moment, then coming out of his reverie, he blushed and smiled a small, half smile. "Hi, I'm Cam. You're new in town." He stated it simply, not mincing around asking questions that he knew the answers to already.

I smiled at this beautiful, direct young man, and said "Yes, I've just arrived to take over my grandparents' farm. You probably knew them, but as I've never been here before, we've not yet met. I'm Alice."

"You mean Leo and Nellie? Yes, I knew them. I didn't know they had any family, though." He said looking at me with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

I didn't want to get into lengthy family histories right then and there, standing at an open shop stall with a man I had only just met, so I simply replied "Yes, sadly I never knew them. Sometime I'll tell you about it, if you're interested. But now's probably not the best time, while you're working."

"Right," he replied. "Then do you want anything? I sell flowers and seeds, and I can also arrange flowers into bouquets or make them into perfume if you like."

"I'm sure I'll want to get some seeds from you soon, but I'm not really ready to start yet. Today I'm just getting acquainted with the village and getting settled in. Thanks, though. I'll see you around," I said, turning towards the café, willing my legs to walk gracefully, even though I still felt weak in the knees. Luckily I was strong-willed enough to carry it off, and I stepped casually into the café.

Waiting to seat customers was one of the most extravagant men I'd ever seen. He was tall, muscular, and generally massive and athletic-looking. His hair was shaved on the back and sides but a pouf of tight yellow curls topped his head. Sky blue eyes twinkled at me, and his scarlet-painted mouth curved into a broad grin as I took in and processed his unusual appearance. "Hello there! Welcome to Howard's Café! What can I get for you?" he called in a cheery voice as I hesitantly approached the counter.

"Hi, ummm… I'm Alice. I'm new here, so I'm just getting acquainted today. It's nice to meet you."

"Ooooh! Alice! I've heard all about you! Your granny and gramps were _such_ nice people, I'm sure you'll just fit right in here in our little village!" he gushed enthusiastically.

I smiled, finding his exuberance contagious and appealing. "So far, so good—everyone has been very nice so far," I assured him.

He turned towards the kitchen area and called out, "Laaaaaaneeeeeey! Come on out here! There's a new girl in town! Come meet her!" As a girl stepped out from the kitchen, he turned towards me, saying, "This is my daughter, Laney. Isn't she just the sweetest thing? I'm _sooo_ proud of her, my baby girl!"

The young woman rolled her eyes at his words, but smiled indulgently. "Daaad! Knock it off!" She turned towards me and smiled. "Hi, I'm Laney, as you probably deduced from my father's subtle clues. Nice to meet you."

I grinned as we shook hands, liking this girl immensely already. "I'm Alice, it's very nice to meet you. I've just taken over my grandparents' farm, so I hope you'll stop by and visit sometime!" Glancing at the clock on the wall, I exclaimed as I saw most of the afternoon had already passed. "Oh! I'd better get going, though—I had no idea it was already so late! I need to pick up my horse and cart from Grady, and I imagine he'll be closing shop soon."

"Oh, yep, you'd better hoof it—I'll talk to you later!" Laney replied waving as I ran out the door.

I hurried down the steps leading from the town plaza, and headed for the cute little house I know knew to be Grady's home and shop. I hurried in, and found him there behind the counter. "Can I help you, miss?" he asked as I rushed up to the counter.

"Hi! I'm Alice," I gasped, a little out of breath from my dash across the plaza. "I'm sorry I'm so late getting here. I meant to be here earlier, but I was getting acquainted with the village and villagers, and… well, time just passed more quickly than I realized!"

He laughed, and said "Don't worry about it! I was just about to close shop, so give me a minute, then I'll get your cart and pony for you. Why don't you head on over to the barn? I'm sure you'll find Georgia there!"

I grinned and nodded. "I'll see you shortly, then—thanks, Grady!" I said as I headed back out the door.

I walked into the barn and spotted Georgia grooming one of the horses, a large grey mare. I greeted her and asked if she wanted any help while I waited for her dad. "Why sure! That's very kind of you! You might brush the ponies, if you don't mind. I'll just finish grooming Dakota here and join you. Dakota's my mare. She's very special to me; I've had her all my life." She turned back to her task, and I grabbed a brush and headed over to the ponies.

Although my back was to her, I could feel Georgia watching me, trying to gauge my horse sense. Luckily I'd plenty of experience from handling the horses on my parents' farm. She joined me a few minutes later, smiling, and I knew I'd passed muster. "You're real good with horses! I didn't know what to expect, especially after seeing your pony in that condition."

"Didn't anyone tell you what happened?" I said with some surprise.

"Naw, my dad's been busy all day with the shop, and I've been out here with the horses, so I've hardly seen anyone all day long. Why, what happened?" she asked curiously.

I explained about the fox and the rabbit and how my pony had been startled so badly. She looked sympathetic, shaking her head as she said, "Why, you poor thing! And then I just bet that Rutger and Ina fought over you, too, even if you don't say so." I laughed as I nodded agreement, saying that I want to check out both farms, but thought I'd start with Bluebell. "Well, I sure do hope you decide to stay in Bluebell. It's real nice here. I'm sure Konohana is nice, too, in its own way, but… well, it just ain't the same!"

I grinned at her enthusiasm, and just then, Grady walked in. I finished brushing the pony, then headed over to talk to him. He took me over to where he'd stored my cart, and showed me where the damage had been done and what he'd done to fix it. He apologized, saying "You see, this cart is… well, pretty old. There's only so much I can do to repair it. I know you probably can't manage it right now, but you should look into getting a new cart as soon as you're able. Still, this should last you for a while, if you take care of it… and avoid foxes chasing rabbits!" he said with a wink. I laughed and assured him I'd do my best.

He brought Lady out, who nickered happily when she saw me and rubbed her cheek against my shoulder as Grady hooked her up to the cart. "Here you go, as good as new… or nearly!" he said, giving the harness one last tug to be sure it was secure.

"Thank you so much, Grady, I really appreciate it. How much do I owe you?"

He waved me off, though, and refused payment, saying, "No, no charge—just helping out a new neighbor! Go on, now, I'm sure you have a lot to do on that farm of yours!" he said, smiling as he walked me to the gate and closed it behind me.

Feeling tired out from my accident the day before and from spending the day walking around and meeting so many people, I slowly walked home. I left my cart next to my house, and led Lady to the barn. I removed her harness and gave her a good brushing, then headed in for a quick bite and an early bedtime. For my supper, I ate a slice of the fresh bread and butter Jessica had brought over along with a glass of milk from the milk she'd also supplied.

I made up the bed with sheets I found in the linen cupboard, fragrant from sprigs of dried lavender tucked in between them. I found a soft, medium weight blanket in the same cupboard, also scented of lavender, and spread that over the sheets. I took a hot shower in the small bathroom, then I put on my pajamas—camisole and tap shorts, since the weather was so warm—and climbed into bed. I had brought a novel with me to read in bed, but I fell asleep before I'd read more than a page.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	4. Chapter 3

I woke up the next morning to the sound of knocking followed by a sense of déjà vu as Jessica stepped in. "Alice? I'm sorry to wake you so early, but I have something for you. Can you join me outside?"

I stifled a yawn and replied, "Sure, just give me a minute to throw on some clothes." She nodded and stepped back out as I threw the covers off. _"I have got to get an alarm clock,"_ I thought, _"and a lock on that door!" _I quickly dressed, made my bed, and pulled on my boots.

I stepped outside into the bright early morning light, and saw Jessica over by my barn. I walked over to her, and she turned and smiled as I approached. "When your grandma died," she started, leading me into the barn as she spoke, "she had very little in the way of livestock. She was getting up there in years, you know, and really she wasn't up to caring for any. But she couldn't quite let go. So she kept one cow for milk and one hen for eggs. After she passed, I took them in to care for them until it was decided what to do with them. When you were named her sole heir, they became yours. So now that you've taken possession of the farm, I'm here to return them to you. They're not all that young anymore, but they should be around for at least a few more years. And of course, if you want to expand, I can sell you more animals. I also offer reproductive services—I care for the animals while they're impregnated and for the duration of their gestation, then return them and their offspring once they've given birth. So you can increase your livestock that way, too. Anyway, here's your cow. Nellie called her Bonnie, but you can call her whatever you like."

I looked at the large, quiet black and white cow and replied, "Bonnie's a good name. I'll stick with that."

"Fine," Jessica said. "If you put her out in your pasture, she'll graze happily. The grass here is good grazing, so you don't need to supply her with any other feed unless it's rainy or stormy all day. Remember that your animals can't be out in the rain or a storm, or they'll get stressed and eventually get sick. So if it rains all day, they won't get to graze. I sell fodder for your livestock as well as grain for your poultry. Speaking of which..." she said, leading me out of the barn and over to the coop. We stepped into the roomy coop, and she continued, "Here's your hen. Nellie called her Penny, but again, call her whatever you'd like."

"I'll keep that the same, as well," I replied.

She nodded, and said, "Be sure you bring your animals in at night, or they'll get stressed. Your hens won't lay, either, if you don't have them in their coop overnight. If you need any fodder or grain, just stop by and pick some up. Cheryl sells it in her little shop. Nellie had a little bit of each, which I've left for you."

"Sounds great, thank you," I said, gratefully. "I appreciate your caring for them until I arrived."

"No problem at all, always happy to help a neighbor," she replied with a smile. "Oh, and before I forget…." she dug into her knapsack and rummaged around. She pulled out a few tools and handed them over to me. "These were Nellie's as well: a brush to groom your livestock and a milker for your cows. Be sure to keep your animals clean so they'll be healthy and happy! The tools needed some repairs and a good cleaning, so I took them home along with the animals, and Ash fixed them up for you. He's a handy kid, good with tools and repairs as well as with animals. He's a big help around the farm, let me tell you!" she said smiling fondly at the thought of her son. "Well, I'll be off now. Take good care of your animals!" And with that, she departed.

I caught Penny and set her in the hen yard, where she immediately started scratching around, looking for insects. I headed over to the barn and led Bonnie out into the pasture. I brushed her, then milked her before turning her loose to graze. I looked at the milk and thought to myself, _"This is the very first thing I have produced from my very own farm. It may not be a lot, but it's a start!"_ I felt oddly satisfied as I bottled it up to sell before heading out to make the rounds of the village.

I went around the village a little more quickly this time, stopping to say hello to each villager. Ash was friendly and cheerful, Laney was sweet and kind, and Georgia was effusive and lively. I found myself liking each of the other young adults in the village in their own ways. Cam's shop was closed, and there was no sign of him in town; I found myself feeling surprisingly sad that he wasn't around. I checked the message board that Rutger had mentioned when he accompanied me to town after my accident, and I found a couple requests there for simple items, such as herbs or wildflowers, that I thought I'd be able to fill.

I returned to my farm, put my cow and chicken back in their respective shelters, saddled up Lady, and headed towards the mountain path. I decided that I felt well enough to give foraging a try as long as I was on horseback, and besides, Lady could use the exercise.

We headed up the path, stopping here and there to gather flowers or herbs or mushrooms or anything else that looked useful. By the time I reached the mountain peak, the sun was getting low in the sky. I paused at the peak, admiring the view and trying to decide whether to turn back or to go on. Thinking that as the sky was clear and the moon was approaching full, I decided that there would be plenty of light. I turned Lady towards the path to Konohana, and we continued on down the far side, foraging as we went while the light remained.

We reached the Konohana gates shortly before sunset. I dismounted and led Lady along the path into town, admiring the differences between the two villages. While Bluebell had the feel of a west European town, perhaps somewhere in France or Germany or Switzerland, Konohana had the feel of something more eastern, maybe Russian or maybe even farther east, possibly even Asia. It was hard to get a good idea of the architecture in the waning light, but what I saw was pretty.

As I walked along the road, I saw a man coming out of a barn and stopped. He spotted me and headed over to the fence where I stood. He was tall, muscular, and ruggedly handsome, with tattooed arms and longish dark hair pulled into an untidy ponytail. "Hey, new around here?" he asked.

"Yes, I just moved to Bluebell, though I may move here at some point. I inherited farms in both towns."

"Oh, so you must be Alice, then. Katya's granddaughter, right? She was a great ol' gal. Good with horses as well as crops. I didn't know she had family until Ina mentioned she'd left her farm to you. I'm Kana, by the way. I run the pet store here."

"Hi, yeah, I'm Alice. Nice to meet you. So you like horses, huh?"

"Aww, man, yeah! Horses are the best, aren't they?" he replied with an infectious grin. "I have a few that I sell or lease, as well as my own mare, Hayate. You've got a nice little mare there, I see. But if you ever decide you want a bigger horse, come see me! I'll get you set up!"

"Thanks, Kana, I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you around!" I said with a smile, turning to head on along the road.

I continued on, meeting a beautiful Japanese girl named Nori and her grandpa, Gombe, as well as bumping into Ina and her son, Rahi, at the message board. Ina suggested I stop by the clinic and ask Dr. Ayame to have a look at my injuries, to be sure I was healing okay. I took her advice and stopped in just as the doctor was preparing to close the clinic, but she cheerfully agreed to take a look. A young man hovered behind the front desk. He looked like he was still in high school, so I was surprised when she introduced him as her intern, Hiro. He cheerfully showed me back to an exam room and checked my vital signs, chattering on in a friendly manner all the while. Dr. Ayame came in as he finished, and glanced over his notes, commenting that everything looked normal so far. She looked me over, checked a few of the more tender spots, examined my eyes closely, and pronounced me fit and well. I thanked her and Hiro and left, feeling relieved.

On my way back out of town, I waved to Kana as he walked into town from his house, and I greeted a pretty but preoccupied young woman just returning from the mountain, who introduced herself as Reina. I continued on the path home, going slowly and carefully in the moonlight, returning to my farm shortly before midnight. I tended to Lady, took a quick shower, and climbed into my pajamas. I heated up the last of the milk from Jessica, sipped it as I flipped through a book on Ukrainian folk tales, and finally collapsed into bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	5. Chapter 4

I woke to the sunrise shining in through my windows and the sounds of songbirds chirping. Stretching, I sat up and enjoyed the sensation of waking on my own—without someone knocking on my door. I made a simple breakfast, then went out to tend to my cow and chicken. After shipping the one egg I'd gathered and the milk I'd bottled, I went to make the rounds in the village. I dropped off the requests I'd managed to fill, and accepted a couple of new ones. I even managed to give a few gifts to some of the villagers, especially wildflowers and herbs that I'd foraged. Cam in particular seemed pleased by the pretty golden wild lily I had saved to give to him.

As soon as I'd finished, I hurried off to ship whatever I could spare of the payments I'd earned, hoping that soon I'd have money to buy some more livestock and some sundry items that I really could use at home. I saddled Lady up and headed out to forage along the mountain path to Konohana. I hoped to get there earlier this time, so that I would have a chance to meet the rest of the villagers there. This time I had a better idea of good spots to search for useful items, so I made much better time, arriving at the village gates at about midday. I dismounted, and leaving Lady tied to a post next to a grassy spot by the gate, I headed in to check the message board and see the town.

In daylight, I could see that the town had a definite Oriental flair, with Asian style houses decorated with red paper lanterns and little stone statues and shrines. Most of the houses there had at least a small field of crops growing. It was a very pretty and charming town, albeit in an entirely different way from Bluebell. As I strolled along the dirt road into town, I saw Kana's shop. His sign said he was open for business, so I stepped in. Several dogs came trotting up to sniff my legs, wagging their tails and barking happily. A few cats lounged around on whatever high places they could reach. And behind the counter was Kana.

If Cam was the most beautiful man I'd ever met, Kana had to be the manliest. He exuded confidence, he was friendly, funny, and he seemed kind. In other words, although he was very masculine, he thankfully was not macho. As I chatted with him, I noticed that he even had a masculine scent, a mixture of horse, grain, hay, and leather, with just a hint of sandalwood. He talked a lot about horses; so much so that when I stopped into the small store in town, run by Diego and Enrique's triplet brother Raul, and saw that he had horse treats for sale, I smiled and, with some of my scant funds, purchased one to give him. I gave it to him, mostly as a joke, as I passed by on my way back out of town. However, his delight with the gift was so genuine that I resolved to purchase more as soon as I could.

I returned over the mountain, watching for anything I might have missed on my first pass that I could use, sell, or give to someone as a gift or to fill a request. I found a few items I'd overlooked before, and I reached my farm much earlier today. My clock said it was just 9 p.m. when I walked in after settling my animals for the night. I hesitated a minute, then decided to go pay a visit to Cam, Laney, and Howard, and maybe to Jessica and her family if time allowed.

I hurried up the road to town, arriving at the café about twenty minutes later. The café was still open, so since Laney and Howard were busy with a customer, I just waved to them and headed back to where I'd learned Cam's room was. I knocked, and he opened the door, looking surprised to see me. He stepped aside and let me in, although he commented on the lateness of the hour. I agreed, apologizing for the late visit and asked if he'd rather I leave? He hesitated, then shrugged and said I could stay if I wanted, it didn't matter to him.

I took that to mean that he was glad, at least in some small way, that I'd come to visit, but that his natural shyness prevented him admitting to that. So I struck up a conversation with him about his favorite subject: flowers. I asked him about the flowers he sold and the wildflowers I'd found on the mountain. At first he just mumbled some brief replies, but soon his interest had been engaged and he began to actually converse. I told him about some of the flowers my mother had in her garden that I'd never seen anywhere else, and he seemed immensely interested by that. After a little while, I heard the sounds of Howard closing the café and realized it was 10 p.m. Not wanting to keep Cam up too late, I said I should be going and thanked him for the nice chat. As I left, I promised to see if my mother could save him some seeds or get him some cuttings from some of the plants I'd mentioned. He seemed so pleased by this, that I resolved to write to her as soon as possible as I again waved to Laney and Howard and departed for home.

Back at home, I bathed and slipped into my pajamas. I dug around through a box of assorted stuff that I hadn't yet unpacked, and found some notecards and a pen. I sat up in my bed, using a large hardcover book as a makeshift lap desk, and wrote out a note to my mother, telling her all about my arrival, my first few days in Bluebell, and about Cam's interest in her flower garden, ending by asking if she could save some seeds from some of the more unusual flowers to send to him. I addressed the envelope and sealed it up, placed my writing things and book on the table, and slipped between the sheets to read a few pages of my novel before falling asleep.

My days quickly slipped into a routine of rising early in the morning, tending my animals, making the rounds of the Bluebell villagers, checking the message board, shipping things, foraging on the mountain on the way to Konohana, making the rounds there and returning home just in time to get my animals put away before they began to doze for the night. Festivals provided some interest to my routine, and there were many festivals. Cooking festivals were frequent, and while the atmosphere of the first cooking festival I attended was decidedly unpleasant, with the mayors openly quarreling, before long I noticed that they were starting to warm up to each other at long last.

Meanwhile, I was quickly becoming good friends with the villagers in both villages. Before spring was over, romance began to bloom, too. Cam was the first to ask me out on a date. He normally went for long walks by the river on his days off, and one sunny day, he asked me if I'd like to join him. We had a lovely time that afternoon, strolling along the river and talking about this and that: flowers, of course, and cats, as well as the weather, the differences between the villages, the mountain and the wild animals there, and books we were reading and had read. He was still shy and reticent, but I was happy he had thawed enough to ask me to spend time with him.

Meanwhile, I was also becoming good friends with Kana. I liked his hearty, frank, friendly manner, and I shared his love of horses (if not quite to the same extent). I found him attractive, too, I have to admit. He and Cam were pretty much opposites, I thought, yet I enjoyed the company of both. Still, I thought of Kana as only a friend, or rather that he thought of me that way. So it was a surprise to me when one afternoon in late spring he, too, asked me on a date. I was surprised but also thrilled to be asked out by the hunkiest guy in both villages.

We went for a stroll through town, chatting as we walked, and wound up sitting beneath the cherry tree next to the stream that meandered along the southern boundary of the town. It was lovely and peaceful, the tree fluffy and pink with blossoms, a light breeze gently blowing petals from the tree down to float on the stream, and birds singing happily as they flitted about. I remember that although we did talk about horses, we talked about other things as well: the weather, the villages and villagers, fishing, our childhoods and our families, my farm, and his shop. We found we had several interests in common, and I felt that he could be a very satisfactory friend and companion. We parted with the suggestion that we go fishing together sometime, and I headed back over the mountain.

Ash remained somewhat more aloof; although still friendly, helpful, and polite, he nevertheless seemed more distant than the other villagers. I wondered if he was still making his mind up about me, or if maybe he was worried that my farm would be a rival to his mom's farm and affect her livelihood. But I wasn't certain, so I said nothing and let him make up his own mind in his own time. Meanwhile, I expanded my farm as much as I was able, purchasing first a calf from Jessica, then a chick, and finally a lamb. That was about all I could handle on my own, without the help of herd dogs, which I resolved would be my next purchase. I knew Grady had a good selection of shepherds and cattle dogs, all of whom had the potential to be good herd dogs. Even his cats could be trained to herd poultry, I heard to my surprise. I also learned that Kana's animals were equally well-bred and well-trained.

As spring drew to a close, I found that I was beginning to feel more at home in the village and that the villagers in both villages were beginning to truly accept me. Ash finally seemed to decide that I wasn't a threat to his family's farm, as they focused more on breeding and sales of animals, while I mostly sold the produce from the animals. At any rate, whatever had caused his aloofness seemed to dissipate with time. One Wednesday as I stopped to chat with him as he was heading to Howard's Café to have lunch and visit Cam, he unexpectedly asked if I'd like to go somewhere with him and talk. I happily accepted, thinking that I'd enjoy learning more about this young farmer and feeling glad that he was warming up to me at last. So we headed over to the town square and sat on the benches in the shade of the statue in the center of the square and talked.

He told me about his family, about his dad and the outbreak of flu that killed him—and apparently, nearly killed his mom and unborn sister, too, which I thought explained why he was such a doting son and big brother; about growing up in the village, remembering various antics that he and Cam got up to as kids; and even about my grandparents, whom he'd liked a lot and who had been almost like grandparents to him, since his had all passed away. Grandma Nellie would always keep a jar filled with the cookies he'd loved as a kid, he said, and Grandpa Leo would show him how to fix tools and do other useful things around the farm. He'd loved to spend time with them and had missed them so much when they died.

He paused for a few minutes, as if making his mind up about something, then blushed a little and said "You know, at first… when I first heard you'd be moving to their farm… I kind of resented it. I mean, don't get me wrong… it's just that the idea of someone—a stranger, even if you are related—moving into their house and using their things and all… well, I just resented that. I was afraid that you wouldn't appreciate them or their things, you know? But then when you arrived… " he trailed off into silence for a minute. "When you arrived, you looked so much like them, and you were so nice and kind and friendly, I could see that you were a lot like them. And as I got to know you better, I realized that you weren't really supplanting them, I guess, so much as… as continuing them. I'm sorry, that probably doesn't make any sense. But if you've wondered why I haven't been, well, friendlier… that's why. But I don't feel that way now. I'm real glad you've moved here, and I hope we can be good friends."

I put a hand on his arm reassuringly, saying, "I'm so glad you told me that, Ash. Yes, I did wonder… I thought maybe you were worried about having another farm so close to your family's farm. I'm happy you were good friends with my grandparents. I love to hear about them. I wish I'd known them. I always felt sad growing up without my grandparents, you know. My parents wouldn't talk about them at all. I didn't even know the story until after they'd all passed away and we found that they'd willed both farms to me. I think my parents were a little shocked, and I think maybe they regretted never making up with them—but by then it was too late, so…."

"Yeah… it's too bad that they didn't make up while they could and that you missed out on knowing them." He stood up and held out a hand to pull me up. "Hey, I'm glad we had a chance to talk like this. I'd better get going, though, and I'm sure you've got a lot to do, too. See you around!" He waved as he took off towards the café. I watched after him for a while, thinking about what he'd said.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	6. Chapter 5

Later that evening, after I'd put the animals away for the night, I walked back into town to talk with Eileen. I admired the lively young carpenter, and felt that she'd be able to offer good advice. Although she loved Bluebell, she seemed a little more… neutral… than most of the villagers in either village. I arrived there as she was washing up from her evening meal. She sat me down at her kitchen table and offered me some tea as she finished her dishes.

After the tea was done, she sat down across from me, saying with a smile, "Ahh, nothing like a nice cup of tea after a hard day of work! Now, what's up? You don't usually go visiting this late at night!"

I took a slow sip of tea, then set my cup down and looked up at her. "You know, I've been here most of a season now. And in that time, I've grown very fond of my farm, the village, and all the people here."

I hesitated, and she said, "Well, that's good, isn't it? I know we've all grown fond of you, too!"

I smiled, and replied, "Yes, that's good, but…. You see, I inherited _two_ farms. And my plan when I arrived was to spend a season at one farm, then move to the other farm for a season so I could compare the two before deciding which farm I wanted to establish as my home. If the tunnel was clear, I could utilize both farms, but as it is, it takes too long to travel between them to maintain them both. I still think that's a good plan… but I wasn't expecting to become so attached so quickly, I guess. I'm finding it hard to stick with my plan."

Eileen took a sip of tea, looking thoughtful. "I see," she said, after a moment. "That does sound like a wise plan. I think you should stick to it. It'll only get harder to move as time passes, you know. And if you don't, you'll always wonder if you made a mistake not giving both farms a try. As for the tunnel, well… who knows what may happen!"

I sighed, and said, "I know, you're right… but it won't be easy. I know there's some rivalry, even hostility, between the two towns, and I'd hate if the villagers here cooled towards me just because I moved to Konohana."

"Oh, well, I don't know about that. Most of the hostility is between the mayors, you know. The villagers don't really feel that way, not as strongly anyway. And you know, it seems almost like you were meant to move here, to both villages. I think… well, it might sound silly, but I think you might just be the one to bring about peace between the villages. I mean, you're a descendant of both Bluebellians and Konohanians, and you have such a way about you…."

"A way about me? What do you mean?" I asked her, my brow furrowed.

"Oh, well, maybe you haven't really noticed… but people just can't seem to resist you. You just have this charm, you know, that makes people like you and want to be around you. I think both mayors have started to feel that effect, and I think it'll help to bring them together better than anything. Especially since you are really from both villages—and spending time living on both farms will really cement that, you know."

I thought about what she said, then came to a decision. "I don't know about bringing peace between the villages, but I think at the least you're right about trying both out and that it'll be easier now than later. So I'll go talk to Rutger the day after the Chicken Festival to make my plans to move. Best get it done soon. That gives me a tomorrow to prepare, then the festival, then I'll move to Konohana after that. Thank you, Eileen, you're so clear-headed! I will miss living here, but hopefully I'll like Konohana, too." She walked me to the steps leading up to her yard and waved goodbye as I hurried back home. I had a lot to do, and only a short time to do it.

I spent my spare time the next day packing. I still made my usual rounds, but I hurried more than usual. I finished packing most of my things that night after returning from my trip over the mountains. The next day was the Chicken Festival; I took second place, which wasn't too bad considering I was so new to farming. Ash's chicken won first prize, and I was genuinely pleased for him.

The following morning, I hurried through my chores, then packed the last few things. I knew both Kana and Cam had the day off, so I first caught up to Cam as he strolled out of town on his customary walk by the river. "Hey," he said as I ran up, "How's it going today?"

"Fine, how're you?" I replied, catching my breath.

"I'm great, thanks. Hey, do you want to join me on my walk?"

"Yeah, I'd like that!" I replied "I wanted to talk to you." I added as we started along the river path.

"Oh? What about?" he said, looking at me curiously.

"Well, it's just that… I'm moving. To Konohana. Probably today."

Cam stopped and looked at me in surprise. "Oh… I see. That's rather… sudden… isn't it? Why move? Aren't you happy here?"

"Oh, yes, very happy. But I have my farm in Konohana, too, and it was my plan to try each for a season to see where I wanted to settle. I really love it here, and it's hard to move… but I know I'll regret it if I don't give it a try, and it'll just get harder and harder with time. So I think it's best to do it now, before I get even more attached to living here… and to the people."

Cam looked off towards the river, a thoughtful look in his beautiful green eyes. "Yes, I see. That makes good sense. Still, we'll be very sorry to see you leave. I… err, we've all been getting to like you a lot," he said with a blush.

I smiled at him, saying, "Well, you know, I'm only moving to Konohana, not to the moon. I might not see quite as much of you all as I do currently, but I'll still be around, just like I go to Konohana to visit nearly every day now."

"Yeah… " Cam said, then sighed and tugged his cap down a little lower over his eyes. "Well, I'd better head back, and it sounds like you've got a busy day planned… good luck with your move. I'll see you around." And with that, he slowly headed back to town.

I watched him go, aching at the sadness in his voice. I hadn't realized just how fond I was getting of Cam until that moment, and I certainly hadn't suspected that he might feel the same. I decided that I'd make a point to visit him every day that I possibly could, no matter how late it meant returning home while I lived in Konohana.

I decided that since Kana had the day off, I'd go over to Konohana to tell him the news. I knew he, at least, would be happy with my move. I ran back to my farm, saddled Lady, and raced over the mountain, not stopping to forage along the way as usual. I reached the village right around noon, and leaving Lady tied up at the town gates, I ran along the road into town. I figured he'd probably be at Yun's Tea Shop by now, as was his habit on his days off.

Sure enough, I found him seated at a table there, sipping a cold beer and chowing down on a spicy curry. He looked up as I hurried over to his table, a big grin on his face. "Hey, Alice! What's up?" he said, gesturing at the seat opposite him.

"Hi, Kana! How's it going?" I said, sitting down on the red-cushioned chair.

"I'm fine, just finishing my lunch. You look like you've got news. Want to go somewhere and talk?"

"Yeah, I do. How about the cherry tree by the river? That's a nice quiet spot for talking," I replied.

"Sure thing, just give me a minute, okay?" he said, as he took a last bite of curry and washed it down with the rest of his beer.

He settled up with Yun, and we headed over to the cherry tree and sat on a bench in its shade. "So, what's new?" he asked.

"Well, it's just this. I'm planning to move here, to Konohana."

Kana sat up, looking startled. "Wow, really? Hey, that's cool! We'll be neighbors! When are you moving?"

"This afternoon, if I can. I knew you had the day off, so I came to fill you in before I moved. I need to get back to Bluebell, though, and talk to Rutger. I have to admit, it's kind of hard to move. I've really grown fond of my farm there, and the village, and the villagers…."

"Well, I think it's awesome you're moving here! You'll love it here, too. This is a great town! I'm sure you'll be happy you moved. And you'll love your farm. Katya and Yuri had a wonderful place. Sure, it's kind of neglected now, but you know, a little elbow grease will soon put it to rights. I bet you can make it even better than it was before, knowing you!" Kana assured me.

I grinned at his enthusiasm, finding it contagious. "Well, I'd better get back to Bluebell before the town hall closes for the day. I'll see you soon, neighbor!" I said as I jumped up and headed back up the road. Kana grinned and waved goodbye as I ran up the road. I fetched Lady and raced back across the mountain. I got to the town hall around 4 p.m., so I made it with an hour to spare. As I ran up the steps, I saw Cam watching me from one of the café tables, a wistful look on his face. I waved to him, and hurried in before I could have second—or third—thoughts.

Rutger was behind the front desk, chatting with Rose, who had apparently just finished tending the small lending library. Both looked up and smiled when I dashed in, but their faces fell when I explained my purpose for coming by. "Oh… I see," Rutger said. "Well… are you quite sure you want to move?"

"Yes," I said, firmly. "I've spend a season on my farm here, and now it's time for me to try living on my other farm. Then I can decide what I want to do, once I have a better idea of the potential in each farm."

"Then in that case, we'd better get you closed up and heading over to Konohana. I'll ask Ash to lend a hand. I must say, I'm certainly sorry to see you go—I'm sure we all are. But of course you're welcome to move back here anytime," he said, slowly rising from his chair.

He accompanied me back to my farm, stopping for Ash along the way. Ash seemed even more grieved by my move than Cam, and I recalled the strong attachment to my grandparents that he mentioned. Perhaps he felt my leaving was a betrayal; I hoped he'd understand in time, and I fully expected to return—someday, anyway. He and Ash packed my belongings into my cart, placed my chickens in a cage and tied it down next to the driver seat, and tied my cows and sheep to the back of the cart.

Ash walked alongside Lady, guiding her along the mountain path and keeping the livestock in order on the road. He was very quiet, not saying anything as he walked, until we reached the mountain peak. Then he stopped, and turned and looked at me, a hurt look in his eyes. "So… why are you leaving? I thought you loved your farm. I thought you liked the village… and us. So, why?"

I sighed and climbed down from my seat on the cart. "Ash… it's not you, or anyone in the village, or the village or the farm. But I have two farms, remember? Two sets of grandparents, two farms. I have to try out both farms, because I don't know what the potential is in each farm until I've lived on both and seen what needs to be done and can be done. But I do love my farm in Bluebell, and the village, and everyone in it. That isn't going to change. And it's not easy to leave. But it won't get any easier to leave, only harder. So it's best to do it now."

"But… you'll be back, right? Soon?" he asked, hopefully.

I paused, not sure what to say. After a moment, I replied. "I… might. I can't promise, because I don't know—it's possible that I'll find that, as much as I love Bluebell and my farm there, I love Konohana and my farm _there_ even more. I don't expect that, but it's possible. All I can say is that I want to do what's best not just for me, but for both farms—and ultimately for both villages. And I won't know what's best until I've spent tried my experiment. But you know, I'm not moving _that_ far away. I'll still see you all. Maybe not quite as often, but I'll still be over almost every day. And I'll miss you all, terribly. So please, try to understand."

Ash stood, looking off towards the setting sun, and heaved a big sigh. "Well, I guess you have to do what you feel you have to do. I'd hoped for Leo and Nellie's sake that you'd stay, but… I guess we'll just have to see what happens." With that, he gestured for me to climb back up in the driver's seat, and we continued on down the mountain towards Konohana in silence.

When we arrived at the town gates, we found Kana waiting and watching for us. He let out a loud whoop when he saw us coming down the mountain, and soon Ina joined him, looking as pleased as the cat that got the cream. Apparently he'd filled her in, as she seemed to be expecting me. Ash walked alongside the cart until we reached the gate, then he tipped his hat to Ina, turned to me, and said, "Well… I guess this is goodbye then. Good luck, Alice. I hope you decide to come back soon. Keep in touch, okay?" And with that, he was gone, hurrying up the path back to Bluebell.

Kana came up, grinning hugely, and grabbed the harness to guide me the rest of the way to my new home. Ina walked alongside, too, explaining that Kana had told her that I'd be arriving soon, hopefully that very day, and to be ready to welcome me. She had the keys to my new home, and we all headed to my farm.

Ina helped me unload the cart, while Kana put my animals away for the night for me. Before they left me alone for the night, she handed me a bundle, explaining that it was a traditional costume of the sort worn in Konohana, and that she hoped I'd like it. She gave me the keys, wished me luck, and left.

Kana lingered a little longer, telling me how great it was that I'd decided to move there, and that he'd see me soon. Then he, too, left, and I sat down on my unmade bed and looked around at the boxes stacked neatly in my new home. And then I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	7. Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning, feeling that particular sort of fatigue that one has after a night of weeping. I was still in my clothes, lying on the unmade bed. My head throbbed, and my eyes felt puffy and achy. I got up, took a quick shower, and changed into my new clothes, setting my old outfit aside to wash and put away. I went out and tended to my animals, milking my cows, brushing my cows and sheep, and gathering eggs before herding everyone out to the small pasture. I was going to have to see about getting some herd dogs, and soon. Kana's shop would be closed today, but tomorrow I'd get some for sure.

I headed over to the shipping container to deposit the day's produce, then stopped by Kana's. He was standing in the pasture, watching the horses graze. He grinned as he saw me, and came over, hopping easily over his fence to join me. "Hey there, how's it going? Ya know, it's great to have a day off from work now and then. But I can't stop thinking about my horses even on my days off!" he said with a laugh.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me…." I said, rummaging around my rucksack and pulling out a horse treat. "I brought this for Hayate. Here!"

I handed him the treat, and he exclaimed "Hey, thanks! That's cool of you to think of her!"

"Sure thing! I can't really stop to visit because I have a lot to do today. But I need to talk to you about getting a dog or two, so I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"You bet! See ya!" he called after me as I hurried down the road into town.

I quickly made the rounds in town, visiting all the villagers and stopping by the message board. I took on a few requests, then headed back to the farm to saddle Lady and head up the mountain. I hurried, feeling both anxious and nervous to see the villagers there. I wasn't sure what kind of reception I'd get, after seeing how Cam and Ash responded. However, to my relief, most everyone seemed unchanged. Ash seemed a little cool, and Cam still looked melancholy. Rutger was a bit cool, too, but Rose was as friendly as ever. Laney and Georgia had been taken by surprise by my move, and grilled me on my reasons for moving and how I liked my new home. I chatted with them for a few minutes, then stopped at Cam's stall and gave him a pretty flower I'd picked on my ride over. His face lit up, though his eyes still seemed wistful. I chatted with him for a short while before heading over to the message board. I took some requests, and continued on my way, relieved that no one seemed too put out about my move.

I returned home in time to get my animals put away for the night, then I went in and unpacked. I made my bed using the linens in the cupboard there. While those in Bluebell had been scented with lavender, I found that the linens here had been scented using sticks of sandalwood and had a pleasant, exotic fragrance. I took a hot shower, changed into my pajamas, picked out a new book, and climbed into bed.

Since the residents of Konohana seemed to be mostly a mix of East European and Asian ancestries—primarily Ukrainian, Russian, Bulgarian, Japanese, and Korean, I believed—I decided to read some Asian poetry and literature to try to get a better feel for the local culture and traditions. So I selected a volume of haiku that I found on the bookshelf, and settled down to read a little before sleeping. I found myself enjoying it very much; the book fortunately provided translations, as I couldn't read Japanese. I fell asleep thinking about one of the haiku I'd read and really liked, written by the poet Bashō:

Ah, Spring!

A hill with no name

Enveloped in mist.

A week or so after I'd moved to Konohana, I went fishing in the shallows outside of town for some small bluegill to fill a request. As I returned to town with my catch, I spotted someone I'd never seen before. A cute guy with sparkling blue eyes, wearing a cap with a feather stuck into it and carrying a messenger bag, was just coming up the path as I came down. I stopped in surprise, then walked up to him and greeted him. "Hi, are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before! My name's Alice."

"Oh, yes, Alice—you just moved here a little while ago. Hi, I'm Dirk, the mailman. I've lived here for a while, but as the mail carrier, I'm always on the go! So I guess somehow we just kept missing each other. I live in the little house just inside the gates and across the road from you. Nice to meet you at last!"

"Oh, I see! It must take a long time for you to deliver mail to Bluebell. I can see why I'd never seen you around!"

He shook his head ruefully, saying, "You have no idea! I often get home at nearly midnight, then I have to be up again and working by 6. It's such a pain, but the mail's got to be delivered! Well, I'd better get going. It's a long walk round trip! I'll see you around, Alice." And with a wave, he headed up the path.

As I watched him leave, I wished again that the tunnel could be reopened between the towns. It caused so much trouble to so many people to have to go clear over the mountain to reach the other village, and then all that long way back again. I was sure it also contributed to the isolation of the villages, which just increased the rivalry between them. I remembered Eileen's thoughtful look when I discussed the tunnel with her, and decided I needed to talk with her some more on the subject.

However, I was so busy with farming and foraging and trying to build and maintain friendships with the villagers in both towns, that the subject of the tunnel slipped my mind for the time being. My first crop festival, a Radish Festival this time, would be in just a few short weeks. The seeds I'd bought from Gombe were not very high quality, so I had to work hard to grow a fine crop from the seed. It took a lot of fertilizer, which cost a lot of money, which meant having to increase my earnings. I accepted every request I could possibly fill, then worked hard to get them filled quickly to earn my payments. Fortunately my cows, sheep and hens were all settling in and maturing nicely, and the quality of their goods was going up—which in turn meant a better price at market. By the time the festival rolled around, I'd finally managed to produce one single, nearly perfect (to me, at least) crop to enter in the competition. And, happily, I won the contest. The prize was a pretty gemstone, which I promptly sold for enough money to cover the cost of fertilizer and seeds for my fall crops.

After the last Cooking Festival of summer a few days later, I overheard Ina and Yun talking excitedly. It sounded like they were expecting a new resident, which piqued my interest. I joined them and asked who they were talking about, and they both eagerly said that they'd heard a well known musician would be coming to stay at one of the two villages, and that rumor had it he'd decided to stay in Konohana. They were so happy at the prospect; Ina was already laying out plans for a Music Festival and going over a list of locals in her head, trying to think of a worthy accompanist. "I don't suppose you play an instrument, do you, Alice?" she asked hopefully.

I laughed and said, "No, not really. I took lessons when I was a girl, but I haven't played in years. I have my violin, but I packed it more because I didn't want to leave it behind than anything. I don't think I could play at all now!"

"Why, what a coincidence!" Ina exclaimed. "The musician traveling here is a violinist, too!"

I felt a knot form in my stomach, and trying to keep my voice steady and tone nonchalant, I asked, "Oh? Who is it?"

"Let me see, now what was his name? Mikhail, that's it—Mikhail Rehn. Have you heard of him?" she asked eagerly.

I felt as though my heart had stopped. I mumbled, "Oh! Umm, yes, I believe I might have heard of him somewhere…. Excuse me, please, I'd better get back to town—I… I need to check on Lady. She looked like she might have injured her leg, so I need to keep an eye on her. I'll see you both later." I turned to go, feeling unsteady.

I was determined to leave as quickly as possible, but Ina put her hand on my arm to restrain me from leaving. "Hey, are you okay? You don't look well. Why, you're white as a sheet! Can you get all the way back to town okay? Maybe I should have Kana go with you, just in case… " and she turned to seek out Kana.

"No! No, I'm fine, really. Just the heat, I expect…." Ina raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the cloudy sky, obviously not buying my prevarication since it was only a pleasantly mild day. But she let go of my arm without another word. As I left I saw her and Yun talking with their heads together and watching me, then Yun hurried over towards Kana. I rushed off before the two well-meaning women could sic him on me, but I underestimated them.

As I approached the bridge that passed the falls, Kana caught up to me, looking at me with concern. "Hey, you okay? Yun was worried about you, so she asked me to follow you in case something happened."

"No, I'm fine, really. There's no need to worry. I'm just… just suddenly feeling kind of tired, I guess," I replied hesitantly.

"Maybe you're working too hard?" he suggested, peering at my face for signs of illness. "You're a hard worker, and sometimes you don't know when to just take a break. Hey, I know! You should take the day off Friday! We can go for a ride together. How about it?"

"Well, I don't know," I replied. "It's the last day of summer, so I'll be busy preparing my fields for fall crops, you know."

He scowled, saying, "Yeah, I know, but that's just what I've been trying to tell you. You don't know when to take a break. You gotta take it easy sometimes, or you'll wear yourself out. Work hard, play hard—that's my motto! Anyway, think about it and let me know, okay?"

"Yeah… sure," I said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back to my farm. I want to check on my animals, then I think I'll go to bed early tonight, maybe read a little."

"Sure, okay, but you know, I'm not convinced you're well enough to make it home all right. If you don't feel like talking, that's cool. But I'm going to stick with you until you're home, just to be sure you get there okay."

I sighed, then smiled weakly at him, saying, "Fine, if you insist. Thanks for your concern, Kana. But I _really_ don't feel like talking, so…."

"Then don't," he said with a grin. We continued on to town in silence, with me so lost in thought that I stumbled on a tree root once and would have fallen flat on my face if Kana hadn't caught me. He said nothing, just gave me several worried glances as we continued on.

When we reached my farm, I thanked him for the escort and started to turn towards the barn. He reached out and grabbed my arm, saying, "Wait a sec. You know, I'm not much good at this kind of thing, but… well, if you want to talk about anything, I'm here for ya. We're pals, right? Just keep that in mind if something's bothering you, okay? I'll see you around. Now go get some rest, will ya?"

I smiled gratefully at him, and said "Thanks, Kana, I appreciate it. I'm fine, really I am. I think you're right—maybe I _have_ been working too hard. I'll let you know about Friday." He grinned at me as he left, and I went and checked on my animals. My dogs had brought my livestock in and my cat had returned my hens to their coop, as they were trained to do.

When I was done, I went into my farmhouse, took a long shower, put on my pajamas, and then went to a small wooden trunk that I hadn't unpacked at either home. I knelt on the floor next to it, unlocked it and lifted the lid, then reaching past layers of assorted mementos all the way to the bottom of the box, I carefully lifted out a long case and placed it on the floor in front of me. I sat and looked at it for a minute, my heart pounding. Then I opened the case, lifted out a violin and bow, checked the strings and raised it to my shoulder. I tucked it under my chin, and slowly drew the bow across the strings. I winced and adjusted the tuning pegs—it was badly out of tune after so long—and again drew the bow across the strings.

This time a beautiful, soft sound emerged and floated away on the evening breeze. I paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and began to softly play a gentle, sad melody. I played and played until the sun had set and the room grew dark. Then I turned on a lamp, put my violin away, and went to bed, where I dreamed troubled dreams until shortly before dawn.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	8. Chapter 7

I spent the next few days in silent apprehension, uncertain when—or even if—Mikhail might appear. I grew increasingly jumpy, my heart skipping a beat every time I heard footsteps on the road or coming down my driveway. I decided that I really had to get out of town and find some distraction before I became a nervous wreck. So I accepted Kana's invitation to go riding, and we set out Friday after I'd finished my morning chores. He'd thoughtfully asked Yun to make up a picnic basket for us to take along. He'd opted to ride a different horse, instead of his beloved Hayate. She was too old now for such rides, he explained, and besides that, he had a new mare he was training for a client. The ride would be good for her, he said, since she had a lot of energy. I was worried that Lady wouldn't be able to keep up, but I decided not to worry about it—after all, it's not like it would hurt anyone if he galloped on ahead from time to time instead of keeping his horse slowed to my pony's pace.

We headed up the path to the mountain, reaching the peak around noon. We stopped there, letting the horses rest and graze for a while as we ate our lunch and admired the incredible view. After a time, we decided to pack up. I asked if he wanted to continue on to Bluebell with me, or return to Konohana. He decided to come with me, saying that he'd not been there in some time and wanted to visit with Georgia and see her horses. So we packed up and headed down the Bluebell side of the mountain.

When we reached the river shallows, I spotted Cam strolling along the path and decided to go over and say hi. He looked up at the sound of hoofbeats, and I thought he frowned for a moment as he watched Kana riding by my side. I pulled my pony up and dismounted, handing my reins to Kana, then walked over to him with a cheery greeting. "Hi, Cam! How are you today?"

"Fine. You?" he replied, glancing back at Kana, who remained mounted as he held my pony's reins and waited for me to return.

"I'm doing fine, thanks. How's the shop doing? Getting ready for fall?" I asked him with a smile.

He looked me in the eyes and said, rather coldly, "You know, I'm not really in the mood to talk right now. Sorry. Maybe some other time." With that, he turned and walked in the opposite direction, leaving me with my jaw hanging open. I had never expected such a chilly response from him. Thinking back, I realized I'd been so wrapped up in the farm, and festivals, and, well, other things, that I hadn't really taken time to visit Cam like I should recently. I mean, I was supposed to be his friend, and here I'd been neglecting him for a week or more. I wondered if Ash was mad at me, too…. I set that line of thinking aside, and chased after Cam.

When I caught up to him, I grabbed his arm with both hands, and with a pleading look, I said, "Cam, I'm so sorry I haven't been around much the past several days. I guess I haven't been a very good friend lately. Please don't be mad at me. I can't bear it when you're upset."

He looked steadily at me, then his eyes softened, and he sighed and said, "It's okay, don't worry about it. I was probably just making a fuss over nothing, anyway. I know you've been busy, but… well, it's nice when you make time to come and visit, you know?"

"I'm sorry, Cam. I'll try to get over more often, really I will. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better go. I wanted to stop in and say hi to everyone, and Kana wants to go visit Georgia."

"Oh, he came to see Georgia then?" Cam asked, brightening up considerably. "Yeah, sure. I'll see you soon, then. Take care," he called as I ran back to my pony, waving to him before riding onwards to Bluebell.

Kana and I parted ways as we entered the town: he rode over to Grady's to chat with Georgia about horses, while I headed over to Jessica's to say hi to her, Cheryl, and Ash. After Cam's reaction to me, I wondered if Ash would be mad, too, but to my relief, he seemed fine. We chatted for a few minutes about our farms, then I headed on to say hi to the other villagers and to check the message board. When I was done, I stopped at Grady's to say hi and to find Kana. As I figured, he was in the pasture, looking over the horses with Georgia as they both talked horse talk at a mile a minute. They were so caught up in their conversation that neither of them noticed me until I was practically rubbing shoulders with them.

"Oh! Howdy, Alice! You startled me!" Georgia exclaimed, smiling.

"Hey, Alice, all done checking in?" Kana asked.

"Hi Georgia, how's it going?" I replied. "Yeah, I'm pretty much done, Kana. Georgia here is the only villager I haven't caught up with yet!"

We talked for a little while longer, then I noticed that the shadows were lengthening and told Kana we should head back as we had a long ride ahead of us. He looked around in surprise, and agreed. We said goodbye to Georgia, mounted, and rode off at a good pace back to Konohana. We got back to town shortly after the last glimmer of sunset had faded to blackness, so our only light was the moon, just past full, rising above the trees. We rode slowly into town, letting the horses pick their way along the path until we reached the gates.

When we reached my driveway, Kana dismounted and walked over, holding his horse by her reins. "Hey, thanks for spending the day with me. I had a blast. It was the best ride I've been on for a long time!"

I smiled down at him, and said, "Me, too! It was a lot of fun riding with you. Thanks for inviting me."

"Yeah, we should totally do that again sometime soon!" Kana said. He grinned up at me, then to my surprise, he lifted up my hand and kissed it. He dropped it again quickly, seeming embarrassed by his impulsive gesture, and turned towards his house, saying "Well, I'll see you soon. Good night, Alice." I called good night to him as he led his horse around the corner of his house towards his barn, then I continued on home, wondering what exactly had just happened.

The next day, when I checked messages in Bluebell, I saw Eileen had posted a message for me to come talk to her. I hurried right over, and she said that she'd been thinking about the tunnel and how to get it reopened. She thought she could do it, though probably in stages in order to be sure that it would be stable. She wondered if I'd be willing to help her out by gathering some supplies that she'd need. I quickly agreed, and as it happened, I had what she needed everything she needed at home.

I hurried back to pick up the materials and returned as fast as I could. I handed the materials over to her, and we headed right over to the blocked tunnel. She quickly got to work, clearing rubble and reinforcing the old tunnel structure. She got a little ways in and decided that was enough for a start—she'd give it some time to settle and to see how strong and stable it was before proceeding. She wanted to work towards the middle from both ends, so we headed to Konohana and she repeated the process at that end. The tunnel was only clear for about fifty feet at either end, but it was a start. All the villagers were delighted at the prospect of restoring the tunnel and improving travel between the villages as the villagers crowded around to admire her handiwork.

Also, starting that same day, I made sure to get over to Bluebell more frequently, no matter how late it was or how tired I felt. Cam seemed friendlier again, and I realized that I had really missed the folks there. I also had to figure out my feelings for Kana. I thought of him as just a good friend, but it seemed that he was maybe starting to feel something more than just friendship for me. I didn't know how I felt about that. Yes, I found him attractive, but I wasn't sure that he was really my type. So I tried to keep things light with him as I sorted out my feelings.

At the same time, I realized that Cam had come to mean a lot to me, and I felt I might want more than just friendship from him. So between sorting out my feelings towards those two, and the general busyness that always accompanied the start of a new season, and the usual assortment of festivals and birthdays—including Cam's on the first day of Fall—I completely forgot about my worries regarding the itinerant musician.

Forgot, that is until a few days later when Ina came knocking on my door early in the morning, calling to me to see if I was awake yet. I was just waking up and hadn't yet dressed, but since it was just Ina, I threw on my short summer kimono over my white cotton chemise and called to her to come on in as I put the kettle on to make tea. So I was startled when I turned and saw not just Ina, but a tall, handsome man with eyes like ice and hair the color of tow. And looking at him, I felt the shock of recognition. I would know those eyes anywhere, anywhen—even if it had been a hundred years and I forgot everything else that I had ever known, I'd never forget _him_.

Ina looked embarrassed, and fortunately she seemed to mistake my staring at her companion for discomfort, not shock. "Oh, Alice, I'm so sorry. I should have warned you. This is Mikhail, the musician I mentioned to you the other day. He'll be staying at the town hall in one of the guest rooms there. I'm sure you two will get along quite well!"

"Yes," Mikhail said in his soft, melodious voice. "I'm sure we will."

I was still dumbstruck, so I only blushed and nodded. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to run. I have so much to do today! I'll be seeing you, Alice, and again, I'm sorry for the intrusion. Enjoy your walk, Mikhail! I'll see you later!" And off she bustled, busy as always.

"Alice," Mikhail said, looking into my eyes. "It's been a long time. Hasn't it? Or perhaps you don't remember?" I finally found my voice, hurt by the suggestion that I could possibly have forgotten him. "Mikhail, of course I remember. How could I ever forget?" He looked at me, coolly, and replied, "Well, one never knows. You never even came to say goodbye, you know…." I didn't have an answer to that, not one I could give to him right then at least. I felt my cheeks grow hot as I lowered my gaze to the floor and said nothing.

After a long pause, I whispered, "And Master Emil… how is he? Did he come with you?" Mikhail didn't answer, and I looked up. I was surprised when I saw tears in his eyes.

"Emil is dead, Alice. He passed away years ago, not long after… after you and I parted ways. He always seemed… sad… heartbroken, even… after we left. All I have left of him now is memories, his teachings, and his violin. Which is more than I had of _you_."

"Mikhail… I…." I started, hesitantly.

"No, it's okay," he interrupted. "Yes, you broke my heart, that is true. But that was long ago. Time heals wounds, you know. I haven't thought of you in years, to be honest. It wasn't until I made inquiries about coming to stay here and heard about the new, young farmer, named Alice, from the mayor that I began to think back… and I wondered if you could be the same Alice I once knew. You've grown up. You were a very pretty girl, you know, and now you're quite a lovely woman. I expect you have continued breaking hearts all these years, as well."

His words stung, as I was sure he intended from the cold look in his eyes, but still I couldn't bring myself to speak up. The shock was too fresh, and I could feel old wounds reopening. I wasn't sure yet if I was glad to see him, but I knew I needed him to leave for now—leave me to think, to remember, and to sort things out anew. I turned away, holding on to the edge of my dining table to steady myself as I said, "Please excuse me, Mikhail. I need to get started on my day. I… I'd like to talk with you sometime. But not now."

I could feel him watching me, then he said in his beautiful voice, "As you wish. I'll leave you to your pressing duties. You will most likely find me at the town hall or on the mountain. I'm sure I will see you around."

I heard him leave, firmly closing the door behind him, then I sat down at my table, laid my head down on my arms, and I wept. It wasn't until I'd cried myself out that I raised my head and saw lying there on the table, a sprig of rosemary and a single white tulip. I knew Mikhail must have left them there, though I wasn't sure how or when, and I also knew what they meant, as we had once often used the language of flowers to communicate in our youth. The rosemary meant he had never really forgotten me, no matter what he said; the white tulip meant that he still loved me, but also that he considered it a one-sided love, an unrequited love. If only he knew what had really happened all those years ago… but I wasn't sure when or even if I could ever tell him.

I touched the soft petals of the tulip to my cheek, sighing as I said, "If only could find the words to tell him what happened… if only I knew what to say…."

I nearly jumped out of my skin, when I heard a low voice coming from the entry, saying, "Why don't you start by telling me the truth?"

I jumped up and whirled around, my heart pounding, and gasped to see Mikhail still there, leaning against the door, an enigmatic expression in his eyes. "You… I… What do you think you're doing?" I stammered out, feeling the blood drain from my face. Suddenly the room began to whirl and my legs became unsteady. I heard Mikhail's voice calling my name as from a great distance as everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	9. Chapter 8

I woke, feeling disoriented and shaky, and found myself lying on my bed. I looked around and saw Mikhail in a chair next to the bed, watching me with a slightly puzzled look . "What... what happened?" I asked, struggling to sit up.

He reached out a hand to my shoulder and gently pushed me back down. "Take it easy, Alice. You fainted. You should lie there for a bit." He rose and began to pace the room. "I apologize for shocking you like that. I didn't intend to eavesdrop. I was just about to leave as you'd asked, when I decided that I simply couldn't. I needed to hear from you why… why you walked away from me like that. I lied to you, Alice, when I said I haven't thought of you in years. The truth is that I think of you nearly constantly. At times I've hated you, yet all the same, I kept on loving you. I love you still… whether I want to or not. But I've never understood why… why you treated me so coldly. And so instead of leaving, I closed the door again and turned around... but before I could say a word, you started to cry. I could see you didn't know I hadn't left. So I waited… I admit I was taken by surprise by your tears. It wasn't what I expected from you, although I'm not sure just what I _did_ expect."

He turned and looked at me contemplatively, and I sat up, staring at him with tears in my eyes and my throat aching with suppressed sobs. I hugged my knees and leaned my forehead against my legs, letting my hair fall down to hide my face like a veil. "All right, Mikhail. I'll tell you everything. But… I don't know if you will believe me. And I don't think you'll enjoy hearing it. But I promise you, I won't lie to you." I heard him sit back down in the chair by my bed, though he didn't say a word.

"To go back to the very beginning, my parents, as you might remember, wanted my brother and me to take music lessons. They felt that it was important that we learn to appreciate music, and what better way than to learn to play an instrument? I decided I wanted to learn the violin, and so they set about finding an instructor for me. It was around that time that Master Emil arrived in town and started to accept students. And so I began to take lessons from him. I remember arriving at his home for my first lesson, feeling nervous and not knowing what to expect. I was twelve at the time—as you perhaps remember. When I arrived, he welcomed me in very kindly. He quickly put me at ease with his charming demeanor, and he began to instruct me on how to use my instrument immediately. He didn't seem at all put off by the fact that I'd never even held a violin before.

"Partway through my first lesson, as I was learning how to hold the instrument and use the bow correctly, I looked up and saw a beautiful, fair boy peering in at me, with what seemed to me a look of disdain at my clumsiness. I saw that he had a violin in his hands, but then he turned and slipped silently away. I asked Master Emil who that boy was, and he said that he was his ward—a talented lad named Mikhail. You. Then we continued my lesson, but my concentration was broken. I couldn't get that scornful look you gave me out of my mind. Suddenly I felt a burning desire to earn your approval, to turn that look of disdain into one of admiration. And so I worked… _hard_. My parents were astounded to see the effort I put into my lessons and practice, as well as how rapidly I improved. Master Emil likewise seemed pleased by my rapid progress. But you… you still hardly noticed me. So I kept working, determined to earn both your approval and your admiration.

"I remember it was a beautiful summer evening when everything changed. Do you remember that night as clearly as I do? I'd been taking lessons from Master Emil for close to a year, and he had decided that I was finally ready to give my first student recital. I remember how terrified I was, but standing there waiting to go on stage, shaking like a leaf in the wind, I looked out into the audience and saw you. You looked… amused? Like you were sure I would mess up, and you couldn't _wait_ to see me make a fool of myself. Well, that steeled me like nothing else could, let me tell you. I glided out there in my long gown and played as I'd never played before. I heard the thunderous applause when I was done, but I refused to look at you, to see if you finally approved—because I couldn't bear to find out.

"Later that night, back at my parents' farm, I took my violin and wandered down to the little creek that ran along the edge of our property—do you remember the place? I liked to sit and play there in quiet solitude. So I sat on a rock, and by the light of the full moon, I began to play. I played some old love songs that I'd found and studied on my own. I loved the sweet, slightly melancholic sound of the music and often played them when I was down there by myself. Partway into one of those songs, I was startled to hear another violin join in. I jumped up and looked around, and saw… you. Leaning against the fence, watching me, and playing the same song I had been playing. I was speechless—I was so surprised. Then you walked over to me, and finally… _finally_ you looked at me without that superior look I so hated. And suddenly, looking into your eyes, I found myself falling in love. And as you stood there before me in the brilliant moonlight, gazing into my eyes, I realized that… that you were in love with me, too. I was so happy right then, I felt like I could sprout wings and fly. And when we began to play again, I thought maybe I had.

"In the months that followed that idyllic night, I loved spending time with you whenever we could manage it. It was hard—between school and lessons and practice and my chores on the farm and your chores with Master Emil, we neither of us had much time to call our own. But at least we often managed to practice together. That was about the only way I could persuade my parents to let me see you, you know. They were very protective of me and didn't want me spending a lot of time with a boy… but if you were _practicing_ with me, that was different. I don't think that they noticed anything different, or picked up on our mutual attraction. But… Master Emil did. Maybe being an artist made him more sensitive? Or perhaps he noticed a difference in you or your music. But somehow he noticed. And… and he didn't approve. I don't know if he ever said anything to you… " I looked over at Mikhail. He shook his head, looking both skeptical and surprised. I sighed and rested my cheek against my knees again as I continued.

"Anyway, it was a couple of years later, when I was fifteen and you were sixteen. And we were so much in love…. Then one afternoon I arrived for my lesson, looking forward to practicing with you afterwards. But when I walked in, there was no sign of you. Master Emil noticed me looking around, and he looked me in the eyes, frowning, and said 'My dear Alice, I'm afraid you have become rather fond of Mikhail, have you not?' I blushed, but agreed that I had indeed become very fond of you, and I told him that it was mutual. He scowled, deep in thought, then said 'This is not well. You are young and in love, and so you may not see it. But Mikhail is too young for love. Please understand, he is very talented. I have never seen such natural talent. And to make the most of this talent, he must work hard and not have distractions….'

"'And I'm a distraction. Is that what you are trying to tell me?' I retorted, offended and upset.

"'Ah, now you are angry. Please, be calm and listen. His parents died when he was still so small a boy. His father had been my dearest friend, and so I took him in. Even at such a tender age, though, he showed so much promise. I taught him all I knew, and already he has surpassed me in skill, though not in experience. This is a critical time for him. If he works hard and focuses, he will surely find success. But if he fails to put _all_ of his heart and his soul into his music, he will slip away into obscurity, his talent wasted. If you love him… '

"'I _do_ love him. I love him with all my heart!' I interrupted, angrily.

"'… then please, my dear girl, let him go. Let him do what he needs to do now. Perhaps later there will be time for love, but for now…. Please, I am asking you to give him back to his music.' I stared at him, still angry yet moved by his pleas.

"Finally I said, 'What about Mikhail? What about what _he_ wants? Doesn't he get a say in this?'

"'Ah, but you see, Mikhail is so in love with you, he can no longer see clearly. Soon he will lose sight of his music all together. So, I am taking a risk. Yes, it will hurt him. But soon he will lose himself in his music again. And perhaps a little tragedy will even improve him. Sorrow will give him a sympathy, a tenderness that he now lacks.' Master Emil straightened up and led me to the door, saying 'I will do my part, to do my best to help him reach his potential. There will be no more violin lessons from me. Tonight we will leave town. We will travel, Mikhail and I, and he will focus on his music. Now I ask you to do your part. Let him go. Do not try to find him; do not even come to bid him farewell tonight. If he writes, do not reply. Give him his wings, and he will rise to play the music of angels. This I swear to you. Will you do it?'

"I couldn't answer. I realized that he was right—you couldn't soar to new heights if I was weighing you down. So I had to let you go. But _oh_, it was hard to let you go like that. You have no idea how hard. Finally I nodded before fleeing back home, sobbing. I spent the rest of the day playing by the creek, hoping that maybe, just maybe, you'd come and find me there to say goodbye. But you didn't. And I knew that I had lost the first love of my life."

By the time I'd finished my story, I had tears streaming down my face. I looked at Mikhail again, and saw tears in his eyes, too. After a few minutes, he said in his soft voice, "I see. So that's what happened. I do believe you—I can see it in your eyes. I never learned what happened that day from him, you know. He'd sent me on an errand right before your lesson, but I still expected to return in time to practice with you afterwards. I hurried, eager to return and see you. But when I came home, you were gone and Emil was packing. He said that you weren't going to be coming back for lessons, that he'd decided it was time to move on. I felt like the bottom had fallen out of my world…. I asked if you'd said anything, left some message for me. He looked sharply at me, and he said no, you'd said nothing, why would you? I didn't know what to say. I felt as though everything I'd thought was true was suddenly proven false. I was devastated. We left that night and traveled from town to town for some time, staying long enough to give a performance here or there. We finally stopped at a city far from your hometown, where a famous violinist resided. Emil took me to see him, and was able to convince him to take me on as a student. Soon after that, he died. He'd always looked so pensive after that dreadful night, but he would never talk about it or about you, and I never learned what made him so sad. Now I think it must have been grief at the pain he caused me. But he was right—your rejection, or what I interpreted as your rejection, spurred me on to greater heights than I could ever have achieved had I been contented and happy with you. Still… as much as I love music, I wouldn't have chosen it over you. And that, I expect, is why he didn't give me the choice. Thank you, Alice, for telling me the truth. And for doing what you thought was best so long ago, even though it was not easy for you. And I apologize, too, for doubting you all these years."

He stroked my hair, then kissed my hand before he rose. "Now I had better leave. I have a lot to think about. And you must have work to do. Don't overdo it; it's been quite a morning for us both. I hope to see you soon." And with that, he left.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	10. Chapter 9

After Mikhail left, I rose and bathed my tired, tearstained eyes, and pulled on my work clothes. Then I saw the time and exclaimed—it was late morning, and I hadn't even started my day's work. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw clouds moving in and heard radio announce the weather forecast for rain in the afternoon—at least I wouldn't need to water my crops. I ran out to the pasture and groomed my livestock and milked my cows, then I checked on my hens and gathered eggs from the nesting boxes. I hurried to drop them off to ship, and hurried into town. I stopped by Kana's shop to say hi. He looked surprised to see me so late, and asked if I was taking a day off. I laughed and said no, I'd just gotten a late start. He looked concerned then and opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off saying I had to run—I still had a million things to do and it was getting late. He still looked worried, but he simply nodded as I left.

After I finished making the rounds of Konohana, I returned to my house to saddle Lady up. I noticed then that she wasn't looking herself—she looked tired, worn out even. I took her over to Kana's and he looked her over, then he said that he thought she was just getting too old for the hard riding that I did. I admitted she was nearing twenty years, but I was so fond of her I hadn't considered replacing her before. He suggested I invest in a new horse, and said he had one he thought would suit me perfectly if I was interested. I agreed to take a look, although I said that I'd be terribly sad to give up Lady. He assured me that he could find a great home for her, that he even knew the perfect place, a kind family that wanted a gentle, sweet pony for their timid young daughter to learn to ride, where she'd have a much easier life. I sighed and followed him out to the pasture.

He left me at the gate, and returned a minute later with a small but muscular mare. She was pale grey with a darker grey mane and tail and dark eyes, reminding me of storm clouds. "Her sire was a champ at endurance riding, and her dam did endurance riding, too. So she's perfect for the terrain here. She's a lot younger and stronger than your pony, and I've been working with her on pulling a cart. She's a quick learner, so I think she'll be just what you need. Want to give her a try?" I said yes, and he fetched her tack from the barn and saddled her up for me.

I mounted and walked her around the field a bit. "Hey, go ahead, give her a try on the path. I'll wait here for you," Kana called to me. I nodded and turned her towards the fence as she broke into a lively canter. She sailed over the fence with graceful ease, and we headed up the path at a good clip. I rode her as far as the bridge by the waterfall, then we returned to town.

Back at Kana's shop, I dismounted, and with a grin, I said, "Yeah, you're right, she's exactly what I need. I'll take her—what's her name?"

"Whatever you decide to call her," Kana replied with a laugh, as we headed back into his shop.

"In that case, I think I'll call her Nubium."

Kana gave me an odd look. "_Nubium_? What kind of name is that?"

I laughed at the look on his face, and explained, "Nubium—it means 'clouds' in Latin, which I think suits her. It's also the name of one of the 'seas' on the moon: Mare Nubium. So she'll be mare Nubium!"

Kana groaned, "That's a terrible pun! But a great name. I'll be sure Lady gets a real nice home, so don't worry about her. Enjoy your ride!" he called as I headed back out the door. I said goodbye to Lady, feeling a little choked up—I loved her and would miss her terribly, though I knew Kana could be trusted to find her a good home.

I headed up the mountain, feeling somewhat apprehensive as I knew that somewhere up there Mikhail was likely lost in reflection. I wasn't ready to meet him again, not quite yet. Not until I'd had time to think, too. So I stuck to the main path, mainly to avoid him, though also because the rain started to fall as I left town. I made it over the mountain without running into Mikhail, and when I reached the river outside the Bluebell town gates, I spotted Cam on his walk as usual, holding a large umbrella to keep the rain off. I smiled at the sight—Cam hated being wet and dirty as much as any cat ever did.

I dismounted, and tying Nubium's reins to a tree, strolled over to join him. "Hi, Cam. How are you today?" I called as I approached.

He turned and smiled at me as he peered out from under his umbrella. "I'm okay, just trying to stay dry. I hate rain!" he exclaimed.

I laughed and said, "So why are you out walking in it? Why not go back home where it's warm and dry?"

He laughed, too, and said, "Maybe I will! Care to join me?"

"I'd love to," I replied. "Just let me fetch my mare. Want a ride?"

He looked over at my mare with a dubious expression. "Oh, I see you've got a new horse. I don't know, I'm not very good with horses…."

I smiled and said, "She's plenty strong if you want to sit behind me. But if you'd rather not, I'll just walk her." He looked relieved at that, so I untied her and led her along the path, walking beside Cam as we talked. He looked nervously back at her once or twice before apparently deciding she wouldn't suddenly bite him or knock him over.

We chatted about one thing and another as we slowly walked towards the town. Then out of the blue, Cam asked, "So… how's Kana?"

I stared at him in surprise for a moment before answering, "Fine, I guess. I saw him briefly this morning. My rides were getting to be too much for Lady, so I swapped horses. He sold me Nubium here, and promised to find a good home for Lady. He's really good with horses, and I trust him to do that for her."

"Oh. I see…. Horses are important to you, aren't they? You really enjoy going on rides, don't you? And I suppose since Kana also loves to ride, that you probably ride together a lot…." Cam trailed off.

I suppressed an urge to laugh—was Cam actually… _jealous_? But I answered him with a straight face, "Well, yeah I do love horseback riding. I ride with Kana sometimes, but not all that often really. And I do love horses, but not as much as Kana and Georgia do! Now those two would be perfect for each other!" I said with a grin.

He brightened up at that suggestion, and said, "Yeah, they would, wouldn't they? Only, I thought…." Again he trailed off, looking off into the distance.

"You thought what?" I asked him curiously.

Cam turned and smiled, saying, "Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it. So hey, I hear some great musician has moved to Konohana? That must be interesting. Have you met him yet? Hey, are you okay?" he grabbed at me to steady me as I stumbled.

"Oh, uh, yeah—sorry, I just tripped over something. I'm fine. Thanks."

"Sure, no problem. Well, here we are at the gates. Do you want to come to the café and say hi? Or do you have other things to do?"

Relieved at the change in subject, I replied, "I'll be over soon. I want to say hi to a few others on my way in, and I need to check the board. So see you there soon?"

"Yeah, thanks for walking with me. I enjoyed it," he said with a smile, then turned and walked on into the village.

I finished up my tasks and visits in Bluebell, then had a cup of coffee at the café with Cam, Howard, and Laney before returning home. Feeling a need to burn off some of my pent-up tension, I let Nubium go at a gallop on the long, straight section of path leading into town. She raced down the hill at a good clip, nimbly dodging or leaping over small obstacles and irregularities in the path. I pulled her up as we approached the gates, and we entered town at a nice, sedate walk.

As we started to turn down the drive to my farm, Kana appeared at his front door. "So how's the mare working out for ya?" he called as he strolled up.

"She's great, thanks so much, Kana!"

"I see you've been testing her speed!" he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"What? Oh, well, yeah, kind of… but how'd you know?" I asked, mystified.

"Easy," he replied, laughing, "You've got twigs in your hair!" He turned and went into his house, still laughing, leaving me torn between laughter and embarrassment as I continued home.

That night, I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to sleep. The rainclouds from earlier had moved on, leaving the night balmy and breezy, and the moon was waning crescent low on the horizon, providing only a glimmer of light through the trees as it slowly rose. I sat up, and then rose, pulling on a light robe over my thin white cotton nightgown and slipping on a pair of sandals. I pulled out my violin case, then removed the violin and bow.

I carried them outside and perched on a fence, then I began to play one of the old love songs I'd been so fond of long ago. I played softly, the evening breeze teasing my hair and billowing my skirt before carrying the notes wherever it fancied. I closed my eyes as I played, simply feeling the music like a heartbeat pulsing through me. I played until the moon was high in the sky, bathing everything in a soft silvery glow. I stopped and looked around, admiring the view of my farm in the moonlight.

Just then I heard a voice call softly to me, "Please don't stop. You still play very well." I nearly dropped my instrument in surprise, and recognizing Mikhail's voice, turned towards him. He stepped from the shadows of the trees along my drive. "I'm sorry. I seem to keep appearing unexpectedly. I didn't mean to disturb you."

He walked over to me and leaned against the fence next to me. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "It's so late, I thought everyone in the village would be asleep by now."

He sighed and said, "I was unable to sleep. Too much on my mind, I suppose. So I decided to go for a walk in the moonlight, but when I reached the town gate, I heard music. So of course I followed it, and it led me here. I knew it had to be you, anyway—who here but one of us would be playing our old songs on a violin?" I nodded. "Please, don't let me interrupt your playing, though. As I said, you still play quite well. It's a shame you weren't able to continue your lessons."

I hopped down and looked up at him, and replied, "Yes, well… I wasn't really given a choice, remember? After that night, when I played for hours and hours, hoping that you'd come and you didn't, I put my violin away. I lost the heart to play it, once you left. I haven't touched it since, until only a few nights ago, when I heard you were coming here. It… just hurt too much."

He looked down into my eyes, and tenderly brushed a wisp of hair from my cheek. "All the more remarkable, then, how well you play. Most people would be dreadful after such a long time." He stroked my cheek with his hand, adding, "I could give you lessons, if you like. I would so enjoy teaching you…."

I blushed at his words, sensing that he wasn't meaning only the violin. I felt my knees getting weak and steeled myself. "We'll see," I replied.

"As you wish," he said, and leaned down towards me.

I stopped him, and gently pushed him back a little. "No, Mikhail. You were my first love, and oh! how I loved you. But I'm not sure that you will be my last. It's been a long time, and we aren't the same people now as we were then. We don't really know each other anymore. I'm certainly not ready to just pick up where we left off, as if the past eight years never happened. I need time… and to be honest, I just don't know how I feel now. I've finally begun dating a little, for the first time since we parted ways. I've become friends with some of the local men—and I may want to be more than friends with one of them, someday…."

He looked at me, his brow furrowed. "Are you telling me that you don't love me anymore? Because I still love you. I didn't want to—I tried very hard not to. But there it is. You are as much a part of me as music."

I leaned into his hand, still gently cradling my cheek, and closed my eyes. Right then I felt it would be so easy to fall back in love with him... but as I had told him, I really didn't know him anymore. And then there was Cam. And possibly even Kana.

I sighed and looked up at him. "No, I don't mean that. Not at all. What I'm saying is that after all this time, I feel like we're virtually strangers. I want to get reacquainted with you. I can't possibly decide how I feel about you until I know you better. And even if you don't feel that way about me, it seems as though you ought to. You've held different views of me over the past decade, and some—possibly all—of them are not accurate reflections of who I am now. Please, let's just take it slow for now. No one seems to know about our past history. So let's get to know each other all over again, as if we were strangers. But even if things don't work out, even if we decide we're no longer _in_ love, I will still always love you, Mikhail."

He looked at me a long while, then he sighed, and said, "If you wish it to be so, then so it will be. Tomorrow we'll be as strangers just getting acquainted. But for tonight…." With that, he pulled me close to him, leaned down, and kissed me—an intense, passionate kiss that left me dizzy and wobbly and sent little electric shocks down my spine. Then he pulled away, stroked my cheek gently as he gazed into my eyes, then he kissed my hand and, without a word, turned and left. I leaned against the fence, watching him walk away, then returned to bed, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep within moments of closing my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	11. Chapter 10

A few days after Mikhail's arrival, we celebrated the first music festival, and everyone was excited for it. I felt nervous, however; try though I might, I couldn't think of Mikhail as a stranger, nor could I forget that steamy kiss in the moonlight. I arrived at the town hall shortly before the start of the performance and found Kana had saved a seat for me—unfortunately right in the front row.

Ina had found a suitable accompanist, an elderly pianist named Elaine, to accompany Mikhail. She introduced them, and handed the stage over to him. I felt my heart pounding when he announced that the pieces he'd selected were some songs that were very meaningful to him, and that he hoped we would all enjoy them as much as he did. With that, he picked up his instrument, and began to play.

As I'd suspected, he'd chosen some of the old love songs we used to play together. I felt my cheeks grow hot; it felt as though he was playing for me and me alone. When he finished, there was a brief silence as everyone came out of their reveries, having all been caught up in the beauty of his music. Then everyone rose to their feet as they applauded him resoundingly.

He smiled and bowed, and as he straightened up, he caught my eye and smiled tenderly at me. Then he gave one encore: a piece of his own composition. He explained he'd written it shortly after his arrival, inspired by the village, the beauty of the surroundings, and the villagers he'd met. It was beautiful, like a dream given the wings of a songbird, soaring higher and higher into the heavens. I felt breathless by the time he finished, and when he bowed and departed, the audience continued applauding him for several minutes.

Everyone talked about the music afterwards, how wonderful it was, how lovely the selections, how skillful Mikhail was, on the violin and at composing, too. For my part, though, I just wanted to leave, to be alone and quiet somewhere to think and to remember the feel of the music. So I stayed only as long as good manners required, then I quietly slipped away. Once home, I grabbed my fishing gear, saddled Nubium, and rode off towards the mountain.

I left Nubium tied just off the path, at the head of the trail leading down to my favorite fishing spot down by the waterfall. I found the energy of the falls revitalizing, and I liked that it was secluded—even if my horse tied at the trailhead kind of gave me away, it still wasn't too easy to spot me unless someone was really looking. Plus it was the only spot in the area where one might catch a decent size cherry salmon, which were a favorite of mine. I cast my line and waited patiently, and while I waited, I thought about Mikhail.

Since that night, Mikhail had been true to his word. He'd been friendly yet reserved whenever we met in public, just as acquaintances should be. Yet I would occasionally find him looking at me with a certain look in his eyes, or catch a nuance in his words or his tone of voice, or hints in his choices of flowers or music. Little, subtle clues that no one else could possibly pick up on, let alone draw the correct conclusion from, yet the constant barrage of hints and innuendos was beginning to exhaust me and leave my nerves frayed. Perhaps it would be better, after all, to come clean—to admit to our past history. Then at least the strain of keeping our secret would be gone. It would give fuel to the village gossips… but at this point, I felt that even having people gossip about me would be better than this.

But I wasn't sure, either, how the news would be received. Perhaps if I talked to someone about it… someone less involved might have a clearer idea of what would be the best course of action, or even an alternative that hadn't occurred to me. But who… ? My closest friends at the time were Eileen and Kana. Eileen had the advantage of being a woman, but she had the disadvantage of living in Bluebell. The long travel time made it difficult to just pop over for a quick visit whenever I wanted to chat.

Having caught a couple of good fish, I returned home. I made up my mind to go visit Kana, and decided that if the opportunity seemed to present itself, I'd let him in on my secret and ask his advice. I dropped off my fish and put Nubium away, then after a moment's hesitation, I grabbed a bottle of honey wine that Eileen had given me as a thank you a few weeks back. I thought a glass—or maybe two—of wine might help me relax, since I still felt wound up and jumpy.

I knocked on Kana's door and he called for me to come on in. I stepped in, held up the wine, and asked if he was busy. He grinned, and replied, "I am now! Let's see, where'd I put that opener?" as he opened a drawer and started to rummage around. He found it, grabbed a couple of glasses and set them on the table, waving me to come on in and sit down. "So what's the occasion?" he asked as he opened the bottle and filled the glasses. "We celebrating something?" he looked at me curiously as he handed a glass to me. "Oh, hang on…."

He went and rummaged around a couple of cupboards, returning with a bowl and a few bags. "Here we go. I never drink on an empty stomach, y'know. You'll regret it in the morning if you do," he assured me as he dumped chips and pretzels into the bowl. "Not exactly gourmet, but it'll do. So what's up?" he said, sitting down and taking a sip of the sweet wine and grabbing a few chips.

"Oh, nothing special," I said. "I've just had a hard few days and needed to unwind."

"Hey, you're not overdoing it again are you?" he asked, sitting up and looking at me fiercely. "I warned you about that. You should listen. I always give good advice—_always_."

I smiled and assured him it wasn't anything like that. He sat back, looking relieved, and said, "Well, if you aren't overworking yourself, what is it then? I'm guessing you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to talk about it. So… talk!"

I laughed nervously, took a few pretzels and nibbled them, then gulped some of the cool, syrupy wine to moisten my dry throat. "Well… " I started, hesitantly, "It's kind of a secret."

"Good secret or bad secret? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone—not unless I really have to, that is."

"It's nothing like that," I assured him. "And I don't really know if you could exactly call it either good or bad. Just… a secret." Kana sat back and waited patiently, sipping his drink and watching me.

"You know the new musician?" I asked after a moment.

"You mean Mikhail? Well, not really _know_ him—I've met him once or twice. Seems okay. Really quiet and kind of stand-offish, though. What about him?" Kana asked.

"Well… _I_ know him."

Kana's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh yeah? How long? Not best buddies I assume, or it wouldn't be such a secret."

"I've known him for nearly eleven years, though I haven't seen him in eight. As for how closely…. Well, we… we were in love."

"What?" Kana exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat. "Like, _love_-love? Or just kind of a crush love? Or what?"

"Love-love, madly so. I was only thirteen when I fell in love with him, and he was fourteen, but it was the real deal despite our ages. We fell more and more in love each day for the next two years. But… but then his teacher, who was also his guardian, told me he was taking Mikhail away. He… he said I was ruining his chances of becoming a world-class violinist, and that if I truly loved him, I'd let him go and break off all contact. I thought it would kill me, but I wanted to give him that chance. So I did it. I let him go. And then I didn't see or hear from him until he moved here."

"Whoa, that must have been a real shocker."

I laughed bitterly, then drank a little more of my wine. "You have no idea. I fainted when we met again. Then we had a long talk, and I told him what had happened. All those years he'd been hating me, thinking I'd just tossed him aside and hadn't _really_ cared for him. Oh, how it hurt when I found out that's what he thought. But I was glad that at least it hadn't been in vain—he really did become a successful violinist, and I'm glad for him. But… "

"But you're still in love with him? Is that it?" Kana asked, scowling into his glass.

"No, not exactly. Not quite that. I do love him—I've always loved him. But I'm no longer _in love_ with him, if you know what I mean?"

After a pause to reflect, Kana replied, "Yeah… yeah, I think I do. You can love someone without being in love with them, and you can be in love with someone but not really love them. It's best if you have both sides feeling both ways, yeah?"

"Right. So that night, the night he arrived, he came back and we talked some more. He said he realized that he still loved me, that he had always loved me—even when he also hated me for what he thought I'd done—and that he always would love me. So I told him that I wasn't sure I felt that way about him anymore, that after so much time apart, we're almost strangers. I said that since as far as anyone else here knew, we _were_ strangers, and so we should just go along with that and get to know each other all over again. Then, maybe we'd find ourselves in love again—or maybe not. But at least whatever happened would be based on reality and not fantasy."

Kana nodded as he reached for the wine bottle to refill our glasses. "Makes good sense. Hey, want a sandwich? This wine's really sweet—I could use something besides just these chips."

"Sure, that sounds nice. Thanks," I replied as I sipped my wine.

He rose and started to assemble some cheese sandwiches, saying "Go on, I'm still listening."

"Well, there's not a lot more to tell… " I trailed off.

"So you wanted to keep it on the QT… and he refused?" Kana asked as he put the ingredients away.

"No, not at all. He agreed, saying that if that was what I wanted, that's what we'd do. But… " I trailed off.

"But?" Kana prompted, bringing the plate of sandwiches over and sitting down across from me. He bit into a sandwich, watching me and waiting.

"Well, he hasn't come right out and said anything. He keeps our secret… kind of."

"So then why are you telling me all this, especially if you agreed to not tell anyone?" Kana said.

"Because… I just can't take much more of this, that's why." I blurted out, choking back a sob. "He doesn't do or say anything _overt_, not around others anyway, but he hints and implies and looks at me in a certain way when no one else is watching. And if I come across him somewhere out of the way where we're all alone, he doesn't even _try_ to hide his feelings—every word, every look, every gesture declares his love for me. And I can't take it. It's wearing me out. My nerves are frazzled, and I'm almost at the point of becoming a recluse. Or leaving—I've even thought of _that_, of just giving up my farms and leaving. But I don't _really_ want to do that. So I thought… I thought maybe if we stopped trying to keep our past secret? Maybe then if I no longer have the fear of discovery hanging over me all the time, it would be easier."

"I see. So then, why haven't you? Why come to me?" Kana asked. "Why not just go ahead and tell everyone?"

I blushed and lowered my eyes, and replied, "Well, you'll think it's silly I expect… but I'm afraid of gossip. I'm afraid of what the people here or in Bluebell might do or say if they found out that Mikhail and I had a past history and kept it secret. I don't want them making it into something it wasn't, or reading more into it than is there, or…."

"Or otherwise intruding on the memories you cherish of your first love. Is that it?" Kana asked.

I looked at him in surprise, "Well, yes, you're right. That's it exactly. It's nothing to do with either of us _now_—it's the memories of those beautiful, happy days together before everything was ruined. I don't want people pulling that out to examine it under a microscope, you know, and then trampling on it."

"Yeah, I get that, really I do. I felt kind of the same way after my mom died. I didn't want to talk about her with anyone—I didn't want anyone to say anything that might affect the memories of her that I cherished. But you gotta give the folks around here some credit. Yeah, sure, both towns have some gossips. But you know, even the nosiest among us aren't malicious. When the people here gossip, they do it because they're interested in others and because they care, not because they want to pull others down or be hurtful. So I'd expect that the news would cause a brief sensation, and all the women (and several of the men) would talk about it. But I think most of the speculation will be about what might happen between you two in the future, not about your past. And I don't think anyone will think less of you for trying to hide it at first."

He finished the last sandwich and his glass of wine and stood up, picking up the empty plate and taking it to wash. "I can't tell you what to do, of course. But you wouldn't have come here to tell me all this if you hadn't wanted my advice. So my advice is this: just come clean. You don't have to make a big fancy-schmancy announcement. Just, you know, in conversation, if you see an opening, kind of casually mention that you'd had a youthful romance with him years ago but hadn't seen him in some time until he moved here. I don't think it'll be as bad as you fear it will be. And I think you're right about it being a relief to have it out in the open. Secrets and deception are just exhausting to maintain; it's better to just be honest from the get-go. Yeah? So you go tell that guy that you're having none of his shenanigans and that you want to come clean to the villagers."

"You're right, Kana," I said with a smile.

"I always am," he interrupted cheerfully.

"So that's what I'll do," I continued. "I just hope that he won't feel like he'll have free rein to be over the top in his attentions once the secret's out. He's not the only guy in town, after all!" I said with a grin.

"No. No, he certainly isn't. And I think he'll find that out for himself soon enough." Kana said, looking at me with an oddly serious expression.

I excused myself shortly after that and headed home. It was late, and the wine had made me drowsy. The next day was Tuesday; I decided that I wanted to tell Cam about Mikhail and me before he heard it elsewhere, and also to tell Eileen about it, if I had the chance. So I resolved to head over and see Cam as soon as he closed his shop for the day. Then Wednesday I would talk to Mikhail. That was his birthday, too, and I recalled that years ago, he'd loved simple foods such tofu as well as Oriental teas. So I decided I'd take him something he especially liked (and hope his tastes hadn't changed much since then), and then I'd tell him I'd changed my mind about keeping our past a secret. I felt better already just from coming to a decision and making some plans, and I soon fell asleep.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	12. Chapter 11

**AN:** This chapter is a little short, so I'm posting an extra chapter today (though it's another short one)! Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear what you think of the story!

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><p>The next day, after I'd finished my chores and completed my rounds in Konohana, I saddled up Nubium and started up the mountain. Since I wanted to arrive around the time Cam closed up shop, I took my time, wandering along the mountain paths and foraging more thoroughly than I had for some time. I collected quite a few herbs and nuts and berries as well as several wildflowers. As I reached the mountain peak, I saw Mikhail a ways off, sitting on a large rock and gazing dreamily into the distance. He turned at the sound of hoofbeats, so I waved to him and urged Nubium quickly along before he could climb down and stroll over for a chat. I wasn't up to it today.<p>

I reached Bluebell in the late afternoon, as the shadows were just lengthening. I knew Cam would still be working, so I made my rounds and stopped at the message board. I still had some time to kill, so I stopped in to talk with Eileen. I'd wanted to talk with her about Mikhail anyway, so this seemed like a good time. I knocked and walked on in. I found her in her workshop, seated at her work table poring over some blueprints.

She looked up and smiled when I walked in, then pushed the blueprints to one side. "Hi, Alice! How nice to see you. How are you?"

"I'm great, thanks! I have something I kind of wanted to talk with you about, though, if you aren't too busy?"

"Nah, just looking these over. What's up?" she replied, pulling a chair over for me.

"Well… you know that musician that just moved into Konohana?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, I've seen him up on the mountain. He's super cute! Why? Oooh, got a crush on him?" she asked eagerly.

"Nooooo… not exactly. It's like this. Years ago when I was in my early teens, we were in love."

"What?" Eileen exclaimed. "You don't say! Well, come on—hurry up and tell me all about it!" I told her the story of how we met, fell in love, and separated, and when I finished, she let out a long sigh. "Oh, Alice, that's just sooo romantic! And so now you've found each other again? Did you recognize him? Did he recognize you?"

"Yes, we knew each other as soon as we saw each other. You… you just don't forget someone you've loved so intensely very easily. But… well, he thinks he still loves me, especially now that he knows the truth behind what happened that night. But I'm not at all sure that _I'm_ in love with _him_ anymore. It's been a long time, and, well, there are other guys out there. I've only just finally started dating—I couldn't bring myself to date for years after Mikhail left, it took so long to get over him. But I did get over him at last, and some of the men around here are very nice. And I'm not sure, given the choice, that I'd choose him. I'll always love him, but that's not the same thing as being in love with him. And I don't want to be with someone if I'm not in love him."

Eileen looked thoughtful as she replied, "Yes, that's true. Well, I think you're smart not to restrict your options just because an old flame showed up and wants you back. As you say, there are some awfully nice boys around here. But it's still terribly romantic!"

I laughed, saying, "Well, that's as may be. But I am a little worried that people will get the wrong impression when they hear about it, especially since we tried to keep it a secret. So I wanted _you,_ at least, to know the truth. And I'm going to tell Cam about it, too. He's… well, he's one of the 'awfully nice boys', you know, and he's kind of sensitive. I really wouldn't want him to hear about it second hand and misunderstand what happened. I remember one time he saw me out riding with Kana, and oh boy, did he give me the cold shoulder. And we're not even exactly dating—not _really_ dating, anyway. I don't think he's even really the jealous or possessive type, exactly. I think he's just sensitive, and maybe he's afraid of being hurt."

"I think you're right." Eileen replied, then hesitated a moment. "Don't let him know I told you this, but… well, Cam was once in love with a really beautiful girl who used to live here some years ago. He was only eighteen, but he really fell for her. And… well, she really hurt him. That's all I'll say about it, as it's not my story to tell. But yeah… I think he's scared of getting hurt again. If he didn't feel something for you, I don't think he'd care at all—you'd just be another friend then, and he wouldn't care who you went out with. So just keep that in mind. He might find your news about Mikhail hard to take. But still, it'll be better to hear the truth from you now than to hear rumors from others later."

"Yeah, thanks, Eileen." I glanced over at her clock and exclaimed, "Oh, I'd better get going. It's getting late, and Cam should be done with his shop for the day. I'll see you soon. Thanks for listening!"

"Sure thing, and good luck, Alice!" Eileen called as I hurried out the door.

I walked over to Howard's Café and waved to Howard and Laney as I passed through in search of Cam. He was still in his stock room, going over his inventory in preparation for tomorrow. He turned when I opened the door and smiled as he greeted me. "Oh, hi, Alice. How are you?"

"I'm fine, and you? How's the shop?"

"Oh, fine, you know… Hey, are you busy? Want to go somewhere and talk for a while?"

"Yeah… actually, that's why I'm here. I need to talk with you."

He raised an eyebrow, but only said, "Sure, where do you want to go?"

"Umm, how about over by the river?"

"Sounds good. Give me a second to finish this up, and we can go."

"Sure," I replied, "I'll wait for you in the café."

"Okay, be right there," he said, turning back to his clipboard as I left.

I went on out and chatted with Howard and Laney for a few minutes before Cam came out and joined us. We said goodbye to them and headed off towards the river, me leading Nubium by her reins as we walked. We chatted on the way, just ordinary small talk about the villages. When we reached the river, I tied Nubium to a tree and breathed a deep sigh of relief. "It's so peaceful by the river. I can see why you like to spend so much of your spare time here. It's relaxing."

Cam nodded, then turned to me and said, "So. You said you needed to talk. What's up? Is something wrong?" he asked, looking a little apprehensive.

I sighed and said, "Not quite exactly _wrong_. But… well, there's some news that will be getting out, and I wanted to tell you about it first, because you… you're important to me. I didn't want you to hear rumors or get misinformation from others and then be hurt that I didn't tell you."

Cam scowled and looked more concerned. "You'd better just come right out and tell me, then. All this vague suggestion is, well, worrying. What is it?"

I sighed again, saying, "I'm sorry Cam. I just don't quite know where to start…."

"How about you start at the beginning?" he replied, settling himself on a log by the river to listen to what I had to say.

I sat down next to him and took a deep breath. "You know the musician that came to town, right?"

"Yeah, I heard. What about him?"

"He… it turns out he's someone I used to know. Well, more than just knew. To be honest, we were once very much in love."

Cam looked off into the distance, silent for a moment, then said, "I… see. What happened?" So I took another deep breath and launched into the story of my history with Mikhail, our recent meeting, our agreement to keep silent and get reacquainted and the results of that failed experiment, my decision to come clean, and my concerns about doing so. When I was done, I sat and waited for him to speak.

He didn't say anything for some time. He sat and watched the river flowing by, apparently lost in thought. After a while, he stood up and paced along the riverbank, and said "Well. This is… unexpected. So… you _might_ still be in love with him, but you might _not_? You aren't sure, so you want to give it a try and see what happens?"

"Well, kind of. I guess it's more that I feel that if we want to have a relationship, then we need to start all over, as if we had just met. We can't just pick up where we left off all those years ago. That's not really quite the same thing as wanting to give it a shot. It's more like… like I'm willing to give him the same chance that I'd give any other man that I found attractive. No more and no less."

"I see," he replied, looking thoughtfully at me. "So… you don't _definitely_ feel anything for him, then?"

"I love him; I'd be lying if I said I didn't, and I won't lie, Cam. But… I'm not _in_ love with him, not anymore. He was my first love, and I loved him very much. But he's no longer the boy I loved, nor am I the girl who loved him. And so… despite our history, we really are almost like strangers. And I don't know if I could ever feel for Mikhail _now_ what I felt for Mikhail _then_. Too much time has passed, hearts were broken and have long since mended. And… well, I don't want to rule out the possibility of falling in love with someone else." I looked away, blushing.

Cam nodded, then looking up at the sky, he said he'd better be returning to town, and I'd better be getting back home—it was a long ride, and it was getting dark. He turned to leave, then paused and turned back. He reached out and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks, Alice. I'm glad you told me all this. I'm not sure what to make of all this yet, but I'm glad you were honest with me. I appreciate it." Then he turned and walked quickly back towards the town, pulling his cap down low over his eyes as he always did when perturbed or deep in thought. I watched him go, then I untied Nubium and rode her over the mountain and back home.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	13. Chapter 12

**AN:** Both chapter 11 and 12 are a little short, which is why I posted three chapters today instead of two. Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading!

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><p>The next morning I awoke feeling vaguely apprehensive, then remembered it was the day I planned to talk to Mikhail. I quickly dressed and took care of my farm chores, then I made the rounds of the village as usual. I hurried back to my farm as soon as I was done, tossed together a nice herb salad to take him and packed it up in a tightly sealed container to keep it fresh. I packed up, saddled Nubium, and headed off towards the mountain. It was a little while before noon, so I knew I'd reach the mountaintop shortly after him if I foraged along the path as planned.<p>

As expected, I arrived just in time to see him climbing up his usual perch on a large rock to sit and contemplate the view. I tied Nubium to a tree and grabbed the salad I'd made. I climbed up next to him, and after we exchanged greetings, I wished him a happy birthday and gave him the salad. He smiled, saying "You remembered the kind of foods I like. Thank you, Alice, it's very nice." He hesitated for a minute, then said, "So… would you like to stay and chat with me for a while?"

Taking a deep breath, I replied, "Yes, I would like that. I really want to talk with you. But it's a little hot up here today… how about we go over to the spring where it's shadier?" I suggested. He smiled in agreement and climbed down, then held out his hand to help me down. We strolled over to the spring and sat in the shade of a tall tree. I told him to please go ahead and eat while it was fresh. He offered to share, but I declined, saying I wasn't hungry. He looked skeptical, but he opened the container and began to eat. I'd forgotten how daintily he ate, how fastidious he was in his personal habits. He ate slowly and tidily, savoring each small bite as if it was the last he would ever taste.

After a few minutes, I cleared my throat. He set his fork down and looked at me expectantly. "No, please, go ahead and keep eating. I do want to talk to you, though, so if you don't mind me talking while you eat… ?"

"By all means, then," he said, picking his fork up again and taking another delicate bite.

I looked off towards the mountain peaks in the distance, then I said, "Mikhail, this… isn't working. I can't take it anymore. The strain is driving me out of my mind. I don't know if you are doing it intentionally… " he looked up and raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, "… or not. But either way, _something_ needs to change."

"What is it that I'm doing that is so devastating?" he interrupted to ask.

"You…. Oh, how can I explain without sounding like an idiot? You do all these little things: a look here, a suggestive phrase there, an innuendo here. Nothing especially concrete or substantial, and nothing that anyone besides me would notice or understand. Using the language of flowers to convey messages, like we used to do… and, well, like at the music festival, when you played our old songs and looked me right in the eyes when you talked about them being important to you. Little things like that. Since we're meant to be keeping our history secret, it makes it really hard to have you constantly alluding to it in some sort of code. I'm getting so that I'm almost unwilling to leave my farm for fear of bumping into you and enduring more of the same. Yet it's so nebulous that it's hard to pinpoint. So… I've decided that I no longer want to keep our history a secret. I don't mean we have to stand at the village gates shouting our story out to any and all passersby. But… when an opening comes up in conversation, I intend to take the opportunity to come clean. I've… I've already told a few people. People who are especially dear to me, and that I wanted to be sure heard it from _me_, not through the rumor mill. I hope you don't object, but… but even if you don't like it, I plan to do it anyway. It's the only way I can see to salvage my sanity without becoming a total hermit."

I looked over at him, flushed with embarrassment and uncertainty. He had finished his salad and put the container and fork aside, and he was gazing at the spring. After a minute, he looked over at me, a tender, regretful look in his eyes, and said, "I'm sorry. I admit… I enjoyed our secret. Perhaps I toyed with it too much, because it was the only bond remaining between us. And now I'm losing that, too. But I do understand, and I won't stop you or deny the truth if anyone asks. Neither will I bring it up myself, though. I still hope that someday... Anyway, I didn't mean to cause you pain or distress, and for that, I sincerely apologize."

He stood up, returned the dishes to me, and brushed the grass from his trousers, saying, "Well. I think I'll head back to town now. I'll see you soon, I hope? And thanks for the birthday present. It's nice to be remembered." He held out a hand to pull me up, then he turned and headed down the path back to the village. I watched him go, then mounted Nubium and headed slowly down to Bluebell to finish my day's duties before finally returning home.

A week or so afterwards came the Flower Festival in Konohana. It was a day to show appreciation and affection to others with gifts of flowers. With the language of flowers ever present in my thoughts, I had set aside a good crop of pink roses, symbolizing friendship, for the people of Konohana. I knew that few, if any, would understand the symbolism—but it pleased my fancy anyway to use it. I decided, however, that I'd give different flowers to Mikhail, and although he didn't live in Konohana, I decided to give some to Cam anyway. He always appreciated flowers, and I hoped that he would understand the hidden meaning. So for both of them, I carefully assembled small nosegays of heart's ease ("think of me"), forget-me-nots ("remember me"), and ferns ("sincerity") with a single dark pink rose ("thankful") in the center.

I gathered up my flowers and made my rounds of the village, handing them out as I stopped to say hi to each villager. While all were delighted with my gifts, as expected none seemed to realize the symbolism—except Mikhail. When I caught up to him on the way to the mountain peak and handed him the pretty little bouquet, he looked carefully at it, then looked me in the eyes and said, "Never fear, I will never forget you, dear Alice, and I think of you without ceasing." I blushed, then he kissed my hand and continued on his way without another word.

I continued on to Bluebell, and found Cam at his shop. I presented him with the flowers and explained that although he didn't live in Konohana and so didn't celebrate our festivals, I wanted to give him flowers, anyway. He looked at them, gave me a curious look, then smiled. "Thank you, Alice," he responded. "They're lovely. And… fitting." Then he turned back to his business, and I knew he, too, had understood the message.

I returned home after finishing my rounds there, and to my surprise, I found a single gorgeous rose mallow left at my door. The only note that accompanied it was a simple musical notation—a few bars from Mikhail's composition that he had debuted at the music festival. So I knew who the giver was, and I understood his message: "consumed by love."

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><p><em>Disclaimer:<em> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	14. Chapter 13

**AN:** Thanks for reading & reviewing! I've nearly finished writing the story, I'm just posting a couple chapters at a time as I go through and revise what I've written and finish the story. It's fairly lengthy, so there's still lots to come! I think it'll end up being around 40 chapters, give or take a few, but I can't say for sure yet.

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><p>One Thursday near the end of Fall, I had gone to Bluebell earlier than usual. It was Howard's birthday, and I wanted to be sure to give him a gift and wish him a happy birthday early on in the day. It was his day off, so I knew it might take a little hunting to track him down. He was delighted by my gift of a bundle of fragrant dried lavender, one of his favorite flowers.<p>

I sought out Cam afterwards, as it was his day off, and we went for a walk along the river, enjoying the sight of the colorful trees, though most of the leaves had fallen by then. Winter would soon arrive. As we walked along, Cam looked over at me several times as if he wanted to say something but didn't quite know how to start. Finally, blushing a little, he said, "So… how's the farm over in Konohana? Are things going well there?"

Surprised more by his embarrassment than by the question, which seemed innocuous enough to me, I replied, "Things seem to be going fine there. Umm… why do you ask?"

He paused for a minute, then turning even more red, he said "Well, it's just that… when you left Bluebell, you said you were going to try your other farm for a season, like you did here. But now it's been most of two seasons, and you still haven't mentioned coming back… I mean, well… I wondered if you liked it better over there? Or maybe if you liked… liked some of the people there better?"

"Oh, no—it's nothing like that at all. It's like this: you know both farms had been kind of neglected, due to my grandparents' age and health and all? So both need a lot of work. The Konohana farm is best suited for crops, while the Bluebell farm is best suited for animals. So after some thought, I decided I'd stay on in Konohana until I could get the farm there renovated—you know, clear the fields that had been overtaken by saplings and weeds, plant an orchard, dig some rice paddies… that sort of thing. And that will take some time. Then, once I've finished restoring that farm, I can return to Bluebell and focus on my farm there. And I'll probably choose to live in Bluebell, since I can have more animals there than in Konohana. But if I do it the other way around, I'd have to try to move a lot of animals around, or find someone to look after them while I move back to Konohana to complete my work there. You see? So I'll be staying on in Konohana for a while yet—maybe another year, maybe longer. Then I'll return to Bluebell—most likely to stay, as I said."

Cam nodded, saying, "Yeah, that makes sense. But… a year's a long time." He sighed and looked away.

I thought to myself, _"I have _got_ to talk to Eileen about expanding that tunnel some more…."_

Fumbling for something to fill the awkward silence that was beginning to settle over us, I said, "So, uh… I hear that the Pumpkin Festival is coming up in a few days in Bluebell. I bet Cheryl's excited about that. Are you going to make something for her?"

Cam looked at me, startled, saying, "Well, no… I won't be in town that day. It's on a Monday, you know."

"Oh, yeah, of course," I said feeling like an idiot. Then I immediately stuck my foot in it, saying, "So, where is it you go on Mondays, anyway? You're gone the whole entire day, every Monday." I turned red as I realized how intrusive that sounded.

Cam didn't answer right away, just looked off into the distance. "Oh… I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," I said, embarrassed. "It's none of my business."

"No, it's okay. I just don't usually talk much about myself. But somehow… I don't mind talking to you so much," he replied. "It's… I don't know if you've heard anything about my past. But I grew up here, in a nice little house with my mom and dad. They were wonderful people, and I loved them a lot. But… then there was a really severe outbreak of influenza. All three of us came down with it. I pulled through, but… but they didn't make it.

"That's when Howard took me in—he'd been best friends with my dad, and so he was always like an uncle to me. And since then, he's been almost like a father. But I still miss them… so every Monday, I travel to the cemetery to put flowers on their graves. I spend the whole day there. It… it might sound kind of strange, but… I just sit and talk, tell them about what's going on in my life and in the village. Just like they were sitting there with me. In case… wherever they are, they can hear me… and then, it's like I'm including them, like they're still somehow a part of my life. I… I guess that sounds kind of strange, huh?" he said, looking at the ground.

I felt choked up by this sweet display of filial devotion, and it endeared him to me even more. He looked back at me when I didn't respond, and then, seeing tears in my eyes, he looked distressed and started to apologize. "No, don't," I interrupted, reaching out and grasping one of his hands. "I think… I think that's one of the sweetest, loveliest things I've ever heard. I'm sure your parents are very proud of you. They must have been remarkable people to have a son like you."

He turned red at that, but he looked pleased nonetheless. He gave my hand a grateful squeeze, then still holding my hand, he continued along on our walk, pulling me along with him. We spent the next half hour or so just strolling along the river, holding hands and not saying anything—perfectly at ease with our thoughts and each other's company.

After a while, Cam spoke up, "You know, I was really glad to hear your plans for your farms. I think they're very wise plans. But… I was really glad mostly because I thought maybe you had _another_ reason to stay there in Konohana…."

I looked at him, startled, then suddenly realized what he meant. "Oh! Oh, I see. You mean… you wondered if my plans revolved around a… certain person, rather than my farm?" He blushed and nodded, looking away in embarrassment. "No, nothing like that. I'm afraid I'm too practical to let something like that influence my decisions anyway. Otherwise, I don't think I'd have ever left Bluebell in the first place. It was really hard to leave, and I still miss living there."

"Oh," he replied, "then… does that mean that you haven't made up your mind yet? About Mikhail?"

I stumbled slightly, startled by the uncharacteristic directness of his question. I stopped, grabbed his other hand, and stood facing him. Looking straight into his eyes, I said, slowly, "Cam, as I said before, I won't lie to you. I still don't know how I feel about Mikhail. I still love him, yes—like I said, I probably always will love him. But I still don't know if I could fall in love with him again. And… and you know, you're giving him some pretty strong competition. But at this point, everything is too new and uncertain… I don't know yet how I feel about him… about either of you. So please, be patient, and let me find out where love will bloom in my own time. Please?"

He looked away, nodding his head, and I thought… was that a tear I saw in his eye? I pulled him to me and put my arms around him, holding him close and resting my head against his chest. After a moment, he awkwardly returned my embrace. I breathed deeply of his scent—he smelled like flowers, of course, but also like earth, and grass, and fall leaves, and the fresh breeze blowing across the stream. He placed a hand under my chin, tilted my head up to look into my eyes, and then he leaned down and kissed me.

His kiss tasted of fresh mint and was so gentle I wasn't even quite sure at what point it began or when it ended, although I felt far more certain about the part in between. He brushed a stray lock of hair from my eyes, and smiled down at me so tenderly, that I felt as though I had melted into the greenness of his eyes. "I don't know where love will bloom for you, dearest Alice," he said in his gentle, low voice, "but I know where it has bloomed for me. And I'm willing to wait as long as it takes for you to find out."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	15. Chapter 14

The next day, after I had finished my farm chores and made my rounds in Konohana, I headed up the mountain as usual to go to Bluebell. I still hadn't seen Mikhail, but I often didn't bump into him until I was on the mountain path. Sure enough, as I passed the shallows just outside of town, I saw him on the path a little way ahead, nearing the bridge by the falls. I urged Nubium on, and we quickly overtook him.

I dismounted, and leading my mare by her reins, walked up to him with a friendly greeting. He seemed a little cooler than usual, but I assumed that I'd just caught him deep in thought, as often happened. So it was a bit of a surprise when he rebuffed my offer of a thermos of tea, saying as he turned his back to me, "No, thank you. To be honest, I'm rather angry with you right now, and I think you know why."

I was dumbfounded, and I honestly had no idea why he was upset. "No, I really don't know. What did I do?"

He turned around and looked at me, and replied icily, "I saw you yesterday."

Still baffled, I said, "Okay… saw me where? What on earth is the matter?"

He glared fiercely at me, and said more sternly, "Let me clarify. I saw you yesterday… kissing another man. That… that florist from Bluebell. Tell me, is _he_ why you travel there every day? Is _he_ the reason you hesitate?"

I felt an entirely inappropriate urge to laugh out loud. Instead, I suppressed it, and looking him straight in the eyes, I replied icily, "Mikhail, I believe I already told you that you no longer have any claim to my heart. What I do in my spare time—what little I have—is no one's business but my own. Right now, I'm not in love with _anyone_. But I will tell you one thing is certain: if you keep acting as if you own me, you'll only end up shut out of my life forever. You have as much chance as anyone of winning my heart—no more and no less. As for Cam kissing me, remember that _you_ kissed me, as well. And before you say that was different… no, it wasn't. Because _we are no longer together_."

We stood glaring at each other, as if locked in a silent battle of wills. After several minutes, Mikhail sighed and lowered his gaze, waving his hand in a gesture of capitulation. "As you wish. I abhor the thought of you with another man, but I will accept your need to make up your own mind in your own time and your own way."

He turned and started to walk away, then turned back. "Just… tell me one thing. Does he kiss as well as I do?" My jaw dropped at the audacity of his question, but before I could say a word of reproach, he swept me into a close embrace and kissed me fiercely, hungrily. Then suddenly he let me go, and just as suddenly he was gone, swallowed up by the shadows of the woods on the slope, leaving me breathless and weak-kneed on the trail behind him.

When I arrived at Cam's flower shop the following day, he was leaning against his counter, twirling a sprig of something in his hand and looking at it with an expression of bewilderment. "Hey, Cam. What's that you've got there?" I asked as I walked up.

He looked up and smiled warmly at me, then the puzzled look returned as he contemplated the sprig. "It appears to be a sprig of sweet rocket. It grows wild in some parts around here, though I've never come across it myself in my walks."

"Oh?" I replied, "where'd you get it then?"

"That's the weird part. It was on my counter when I came out this morning to open up. There wasn't any note or anything—it was just sitting there on this torn scrap of paper." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a torn corner of paper and handed it to me. It was a corner torn from some sheet music… music written, if I wasn't mistaken, for the violin. I had an inkling who might be behind the cryptic gift.

"Rocket, you say?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's not a flower that one usually cultivates or uses in arrangements or anything, so my experience with it is limited. But I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Wait a sec—I can look it up to be sure. Wait here." And he darted into the café, returning a moment later with a thick volume in his hand.

He flipped through, muttering the word "rocket" to himself as he searched the pages for the entry he wanted. After a short search, he gave a cry of recognition, and turning the book so I could see, he pointed to an entry. The image next to the entry for rocket was virtually identical to the sprig laying on the counter.

"Ahh… I have an idea where that might have come from…." I said, clearing my throat.

"Oh, yeah?" he looked up, his interest piqued.

"Well, uh… I think it came from… from Mikhail."

"Mikhail?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Why would _Mikhail_ come all this way to leave me a _flower_?"

"Well… you see, back when we were… when we were a couple, we used a variety of things to communicate in secret. Because we were both so young, you see, and my parents were so protective and strict, especially with regard to boys. So we had ways to communicate that no one else understood. And the language of flowers was one of those ways…."

"Ahh, I see. And rocket means…. Let's see, what _does_ it mean?" He looked up, his brow furrowed in concentration and his fingers drumming on the counter as he thought.

"Umm… I believe it means… 'rivals' or 'rivalry'—if I remember it right," I said, blushing. "It isn't a message I ever needed to use. But I had nearly all the flowers memorized once, and I _think_ that's what rocket means."

He looked at me in surprise, saying, "I think that's right. That's pretty impressive that you remember so much about the meanings of flowers after so long." Then his brow furrowed again, as he said "Rivals, huh? So… I can guess what he means by that, of course. The question now is: do I just ignore it, or do I reply? And if I reply… how?" He looked off into the distance, lost in thought.

Finally, with a mischievous grin, he said, "Aha! I think I know just the reply to send. I think you once said he goes to the mountain peak nearly every day, isn't that right? Is there a particular place there that he goes to? Can you tell me where? That really huge rock on the east side? Perfect—thanks. I know just what to do," he said, looking mighty pleased with himself. I gave him an uncertain look, bid him goodbye, and headed back home, wondering what he had in mind. I wasn't sure I liked this turn of events….

The following day, I was tempted at first to avoid both Cam and Mikhail. But soon my curiosity overcame my reluctance, so I followed my normal routine, arriving at the mountain peak right behind Mikhail. I dismounted and followed him to his customary perch. He saw me coming along, and waved to me, waiting at the base of the rock for me to catch up to him. I waved back, and then we climbed up on the rock together. There at the top, weighted down with a small rock, was a slip of paper tied around two flowers: a snowdrop and a yellow tulip.

Mikhail spotted them, and his face looked like thunder as he examined them—instantly recognizing the floral message: the snowdrop meaning "consolation" and the yellow tulip meaning "hopeless love". Scowling, he turned his attention to the slip of paper, then flung it towards me a moment later, furious. I picked it up, and saw it contained a couple of lines of poetry, written in a tidy, elegant script. I recognized them as coming from a poem from Burns:

"But ah! how bootless to admire,

When fated to despair!"

I was a little taken aback a bit by the boldness of Cam's response, but I also admired him for finding such a perfectly suitable reply, and on such short notice, too. Still, the tension between the two men was growing more and more uncomfortable, and while I couldn't expect them to suddenly become the best of friends, I wished that they would not feel the need to fight over me, even in such subtle ways. After all, I was my own person, not a prize to be awarded, and I would make my choice when—and if—I was ready.

I looked up at Mikhail, who was scowling at the flowers in his hand. "Mikhail…." I started.

"No, Alice," he interrupted. "Don't say a word. I know, I brought it on myself. And indeed, he was clever with his response. He seemed to know exactly which buttons to push, and how. I very nearly lost my temper—something not easily achieved. However, I started it, and so I will finish it. I will allow him to have the last word… for now. He is a worthy opponent. But… " and here he sat down beside me on the rock and took my hand in his, "… I hope to prove him utterly and completely wrong."

He kissed my hand, and looked at me with eyes so eloquent with deep emotion, I felt my resistance to his charm melting away, and when he leaned in to kiss me, I didn't push him away. He put his arms around me, pulling me closer, and his kiss was as intense and fierce as before. He pulled slightly back, and softly kissed my eyelids, then the tip of my nose, then my cheeks and chin, then he traveled down the side of my neck, leaving a trail of hungry kisses as he went. He pushed the neckline of my top over and off my shoulder, kissing along my collarbone to my shoulder as he did so. My skin tingled at his touch, and I gasped, feeling breathless and hot and dizzy all at once. But when he tried to continue to kiss me even lower, I stopped him, pushing him back.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, I shook my head. "No, Mikhail. Don't. Not now, not like this. Don't mistake desire for love. We'd only regret it afterwards," I said, pulling my blouse back to rights.

"Says you," he murmured, looking at me with hungry eyes.

"Yes, says me," I replied firmly. "Even if _you_ somehow didn't regret it, _I_ would. I won't deny that I find you very attractive. But that isn't enough. And deep down, you _know_ it isn't." I hopped down from our perch, brushed some loose hair from my face, and looked back up at him. "I'm sorry, Mikhail. I need some time, and I need more space than you're giving me. So please, dial it down a little, okay? If you can't… I'll have to keep away from you for a while."

He just looked at me, not saying anything. Then he slowly nodded his head in agreement. "One small comfort… " he said with a ghost of a smile, "… if you're pushing me away, I know you're pushing _him_ away, too." Then he turned away from me, picked up his violin, and began to play a wild, fierce melody into the wind, which followed me as I descended from the peak.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, Grandma!" I interjected as she paused for breath. "Wow! I had no idea you were such a hot tamale!" I grinned at her. She gave me a prim smile, but her eyes sparkled with mischief and fun. "Yes, dear. Even back in my day, people knew how to kiss, and we did it pretty well, too, if I do say so myself. Now, where was I? Oh, yes…."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	16. Chapter 15

Meanwhile, as all the drama with Cam and Mikhail was unfolding, Kana was waiting patiently in the wings, so to speak. He rarely said anything that aroused suspicion, but once in a while I'd catch him unawares, with a look of utter adoration and devotion in his eyes. The rest of the time, he was his usual, bluff self, and he was a good friend—probably my best friend in either village, though Eileen had become a close friend as well, and I tended to confide my boy problems more in her than in Kana for obvious reasons. Since he chose to keep his feelings to himself, I respected that and never spoke of them with him—especially since I wasn't entirely sure of them to start with—but I also rarely spoke of my boy troubles with him, fearing that would hurt him.

So we continued being good friends, enjoying each others' company—riding, hiking, fishing, going out to Yun's Tea House or just sharing a meal or drinks at home. That is, until one day as we were chatting under the old cherry tree near Nori's garden, and Dirk caught up with him to deliver a letter. He was surprised, as he rarely got letters, and he was even more surprised when he saw it was from his father.

His dad had been away for several years—since Kana was sixteen—searching the whole world over for the perfect horse. Kana's mother had adored horses, and before she died, she had expressed a desire to ride the best, most beautiful horse in all the world just once—then, she said, she could die happy. But she died too quickly, and his father's heart was broken. So he set out to find the most perfect horse in all the world, and he carried his wife's photo with him on his journey. Then, Kana said, when he found the right horse, he would take her photo riding with him, thus fulfilling her dying wish as best as he was able. It was such a sweet story, I cried when Kana told me about it. It had been almost two years since he'd last written, though, and I knew Kana was worried about him, wondering where he was and if he was okay. I tried my best to reassure him that he was surely fine, but I knew he still worried.

Therefore, when he received the letter from his dad, Kana was both elated and relieved. But after he tore it open and began to read it, his face quickly fell. I watched him, worried but not wanting to interrupt. At last he looked up at me, his brow furrowed and his expression uncertain.

"Is… is your dad okay?" I asked, feeling even more worried by his expression.

"Yeah… yeah, he's okay. He's finally found him—the perfect horse, I mean. A gorgeous golden colt, he says. But he goes on to say that the horse needs a particular climate to be at his best for training, so he's taken him to the village where my mom grew up. He's staying with her people there, while he raises and trains him."

"Oh! Well, that's… that's good, isn't it?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah… except he also writes that he misses me… and he wants me to move there, too."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, "I see…."

He looked back down at the letter, then back to me again. "So… I don't know what to do. I mean, I miss him, too, and I'd love to be with him. But… I have the shop, and the horses…."

I looked off into the distance for a minute, then looked back at him. "If you ask me… " I said, then hesitated.

"Yeah? What do you think?" he asked me, a little _too_ eagerly.

"I think you should just follow your heart. You only have one chance at life, so you should make it as happy a life as you can. Right? And I'm sure your dad would feel the same way—he'd want you to be happy."

"Yeah! Yeah, you're right. I don't really want to leave here, as much as I miss my dad. I have a life here of my own, ya know? And besides… " he said, turning red and looking away, "well, there's someone here that I wouldn't want to leave behind." He cleared his throat, then said, "Anyway, so I'm gonna go write to him right now and tell him sorry, but I'm staying here. Thanks, Alice! I'll see you around." Then he took off at a run for his home, leaving me standing there under the bare limbs of the cherry tree, flustered and bewildered.

I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure how I felt about either Cam or Mikhail yet… but I was pretty certain I wasn't in love with Kana. He was strong and manly—a real hunk—and he was kind and gentle, too, but… well, I just didn't feel anything more than friendship for him. I had to find a way to let him down… but I had no idea how I could do that. I slowly walked home, worrying the whole way.

The next day, when I stopped in at Kana's while making my rounds of social calls, he asked me if I'd like to join him for a cup of tea. I gladly accepted, as it was rather chilly that day, so we sat and sipped tea while we chatted. He seemed oddly distracted, though, and I wondered if he was thinking of his dad's letter and his reply.

After we had finished our tea, I rose to take my leave, but Kana stopped me and asked if I would go for a walk with him. He said he wanted to talk to me, and he found it easier to think and talk while walking. Feeling a sudden apprehension, I agreed, though somewhat reluctantly, and we set out on the path up the mountain.

Despite saying he wanted to talk, he walked along in silence, apparently lost in thought, until we reached the spring near the mountain peak. Looking around and seeing that we were alone—Mikhail was apparently either not there that day or else too far off to see or hear us, or so I hoped—Kana turned and looked at me. "Hey, you know… I wanted to say, well, thanks for always putting up with me and listening to me yammer on about my dad and horses and stuff. I… I think you're pretty cool, ya know. And I'm glad we're such good friends. But somehow, as I got to know you better… well, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you. And just thinking about you being with Cam or Mikhail—or _anyone_—really bummed me out. But ya know, I'm a man of action, and it's not really my style to just sit around and mope. I know I'm kinda rough and all, but, well, I think I could make you happy. So I want to ask you…. Alice, will you marry me?" he said, grasping my hands in his and looking expectantly into my eyes.

Oh, how it hurt to see all that love and adoration and… _hope_ in his eyes, knowing I didn't return his feelings. I looked down at the ground, my eyes filling with tears as I miserably tried to find a way to gently—but clearly—let him down.

But Kana wasn't made of sawdust, and when he saw the tears spill down my cheeks, he knew. He gently lifted my chin and looked sadly into my eyes. "It's a no go, huh?" He sighed deeply, then said, "Well, I had to at least try, even if I didn't have much of a chance. I'm sorry for springing this on you all sudden-like. We'll just stay friends, yeah?"

I nodded, mute with misery, tears running down my cheeks. "Hey, now, don't cry. It's okay. Really. I… I'm going to head back now. Gotta check on the horses. So I'll see you around, yeah?" I nodded again, and watched him leave, walking slowly back down the path, looking utterly dejected—so unlike his normal, happy-go-lucky self. I felt terrible, but at least I'd been honest with him. He'd deserved nothing less. I sat down under a tree by the spring and wept.

A few minutes later, a voice nearby called out, "So, no joy for Kana, huh?" I jumped up and whirled around, and there was Mikhail, leaning against another tree a short distance off.

"Not now, Mikhail. I'm _not_ in the mood," I snapped angrily, furious at the intrusion and his flippant manner.

He looked sheepish, and said, "I'm sorry. You're right, that was uncalled for. Just… relief, I guess. But I do feel for him. I understand how he feels. And I know that someday… I could be in the same position. And before you say anything, I didn't eavesdrop, not really. I couldn't hear anything except the sound of voices. I came along to see who was here, but when I saw the two of you, I stopped. I couldn't hear anything either of you said… but I'm not blind, either. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was proposing and that you weren't accepting."

I turned my back on him, my heart aching and sore from the whole experience. "Yes, you've got it. Good for you, Mikhail, you figured it all out. Now please just go away. I want to be alone right now. Because whatever you may think, it hurt a lot to turn him down. He's been a _far_ better friend to me than _you_ have been."

"Ouch," Mikhail replied; I could almost hear him wince. But I wouldn't apologize for my words—they were true, if a bit blunt. "You're right, though. Kana's been a good friend to you, and I've… I've neglected that aspect of our relationship. I'm sorry. Please allow me to offer my sympathy. I sincerely mean it. You're a kind and good-hearted person, Alice, and I know it must have been painful for you to have to hurt a friend like that. I'll go back to my roost, but… if you want to talk, or just want a shoulder to cry on… well, I'd like you to keep me in mind, if I can do anything to help you." Then he returned to the rock he'd selected as his customary perch without further comment. I was grateful for that. I really _did_ want to be alone… but perversely, as soon as I really _was_ alone, I found myself wanting someone to talk to.

I hesitated, trying to decide if I should take Mikhail up on his offer, or head down to Bluebell to talk with Eileen? I suddenly realized that I felt physically exhausted from the strain of the past hour. Even if maybe Eileen was preferable for commiserating under the circumstances, I didn't think I had the energy to walk all the way there and back home again. Besides, it might be good to talk with Mikhail. I _was_ supposed to be getting reacquainted with him, after all, yet I hardly ever sat and just _talked_ with him. So I picked myself up, brushed the dirt from my legs, and climbed up to Mikhail's perch.

"Hi," he said, looking slightly uncertain as I climbed up. "Friends again?"

"Yeah… friends," I replied.

"You know," he said as I settled down on the rock next to him, "there are some really lovely spots around here. Some days are a little too cold to play properly, but I like to come up here anyway. I feel… inspired." I nodded, looking across the valley with unseeing eyes. He looked over at me, and I think he might have been about to say something, but instead he kept quiet and waited patiently.

After a minute, I said, "When I first moved here, everyone was really nice and friendly and all… but still kind of distant, like they wanted to welcome me, but at the same time, they weren't sure about me. I don't know if that's because of my family history, or just natural small-town suspicion of strangers, or what…. But Kana… Kana was different. He was the only one who was truly welcoming right from the beginning. His smiles really reached his eyes, unlike most others'. He had no reservations about me. And even though I was living in Bluebell at first, and the rivalry between the towns was still pretty strong, he _still_ was friendly, kind, helpful and always glad to see me. And we found we have many interests in common—animals, especially horses, fishing, hiking, nature, and things like that. We even liked a lot of the same foods and drinks. So before long, he was the best friend I had in either village. I didn't really suspect that he was starting to… to develop feelings for me. Not until… well, sometimes lately I'd just catch a glimpse of a look, and I wondered. And it worried me, but I didn't know what to do. I should have tried sooner to get the message across, but… but I wasn't _sure_. I thought I was probably reading more into it than there was. I wish I could go back and do it all over—maybe I could spare him, then. Even so, I didn't really _know_ until yesterday, when he talked with me about whether or not he should move to rejoin his dad, and he said… he said there was someone he didn't want to leave behind. And then like a flash of lightning, I knew. And I was terrified—I couldn't bear the thought of hurting him, but I knew I just didn't feel that way about him. And it's no good pretending, is it? Because that would be so much worse than the truth in the end. Then today, when he said he wanted to talk and asked me to go for a walk with him… well, I knew the time had come. I was sure he was going to say something—although I _wasn't_ expecting a _proposal_—and I knew I had to make it clear that I just didn't return his feelings. I… I feel like I've just killed my best friend," I said, beginning to sob again. I put my head down on my knees and just cried and cried.

Mikhail didn't say anything, he just put an arm around my shoulders and gave me a sympathetic squeeze. He let me cry until I couldn't cry anymore, then he offered me his handkerchief. I dried my eyes, sure that I looked like a wreck by then, and thanked him for listening. I looked at him, and he was looking at me with such a tender, affectionate look, and he said, "You know, you're really something else, Alice. Most ladies would be flattered by Kana's proposal—I know that many consider him quite a catch, because of his good looks, his manliness, his kindness, and his successful business, not to mention that he's just a fun guy to be around—but instead of being smug or flattered or whatever, your only concern is for the pain you fear you've caused him."

He wiped a tear from my cheek, then went on: "For many years, I felt so bitter towards you. I was sure you were the very worst kind of girl: deceitful, dishonest, uncaring, selfish, vain—you name it. But when I came here… after we talked that first day and you told me what had really happened… I could see just how wrong I'd been. You aren't at all what I had thought you were, in fact, you're the opposite of everything I'd thought all those years. You're so very sweet, considerate, and compassionate. And with each passing day, I find more and more that is good and wonderful about you. And also with each passing day, I fall more and more in love with you. At this point, it almost—_almost_—doesn't matter if you return my love, although of course I long for you to do so. Even if you never do, though, I will always love you, and I will always be in love with you. There will never be anyone else that can take your place in my heart. And… I'm happy that you felt that you could confide in me, even if only as a friend and not as a lover. Perhaps, someday, friendship will blossom into something more. But either way, I'm grateful for your gift of friendship. I'll try to deserve to keep it."

I leaned against his shoulder, his arm still around me, and we just sat there in silence. I breathed a deep sigh and just relaxed, letting the tension melt away as we watched the sun slowly set in a blaze of glory. Then Mikhail walked me back home, taking care in choosing our path lest I stumble. Then he said goodbye at my door, with only a light kiss on my forehead and no talk of love or attempts to press an advantage, to my relief. I took a long, hot shower, slipped into my pajamas, and dove under the feather comforter, where I quickly fell asleep, utterly exhausted.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	17. Chapter 16

The first day of the new season was very busy for me, and the start of winter was no exception. I had to get my winter crops planted quickly while the weather was clear, plus I had my usual chores, social obligations in both villages, fishing, and foraging for wild foods. There wasn't much to forage in the winter, though, so that at least took less time. When I finally reached Bluebell, I found Eileen had left another message on the board for me to come talk to her, so I headed straight over to her house.

She happily told me that she'd been inspecting the tunnel, and that she thought it was safe to clear out some more of the blockage now. "So if you can get the materials for me, I can begin 'Phase 2' of 'Operation Shortcut'!" she said with a laugh. I laughed and asked what she needed. She gave me the list, and again I had all the materials available. As soon as I'd brought them to her, we went straight over to the Bluebell entrance, and she got right to work.

As she had done before, she cleared a section first from the Bluebell side, then from the Konohana side. "Once more will do it, I think! I just need to give it some time to settle and stabilize again, same as before. We don't want to rush it and have it collapse again. But we're almost there, Alice!" Eileen said excitedly. And indeed, I felt a keen anticipation for the next season, and I hoped that the tunnel would be ready for the final stage by then.

The tunnel wasn't the only thing that had been undergoing improvements, either. Everyone had noticed by this point that the mayors were quarreling less and less, and were in fact almost friendly toward each other, their interactions characterized more by bantering than bickering now. This, I was sure, was a relief to everyone in both villages, and with the prospect of the tunnel through the mountain reopening in the not-too-distant future, relations were better than ever between the two towns.

I didn't see much of Kana for several days after I rejected his proposal. I gave him some space at first, not wanting to push myself on him while he was still hurting. But I missed his companionship terribly, so after a while, I decided to try to extend an olive branch, to see if he was ready to be friends again. I picked up a few "bombers" of his favorite beer from Yun's shop, and attaching a note to one of the large bottles, I set it on his stoop, knocked on his door, and high-tailed it out of sight. The note just said "I'm so sorry for everything. I miss your smile. Can we still be friends? If so, will you join me for dinner? I'm making a spicy curry." I was nervous and jumpy as I waited, listening for his footsteps, not even knowing whether he'd come. I knew he was at home when I delivered the message—I'd heard his front door as I vanished down my drive. But… I didn't know if he was ready to see me. Or for that matter, if he _ever_ would be.

I went ahead and made the curry—I had to eat, anyway, and I liked spicy food. When I finally heard footsteps crunching through the snow on my drive, I felt a thrill of relief mingled with joy. A moment later, there was a knock on my door, and I threw it open. Standing on my porch was Kana, looking a little embarrassed and awkward—unusual for him. But still, he came, and that was the important thing. I invited him in, poured him a glass of beer, and sat down across from him, saying that the curry would be ready soon. He nodded, looking down at his beer as if not knowing what to say. And neither did I, to be honest—it wasn't easy to just go back to being friends after a confession like that. And I felt guilty—he didn't look his usual hale and hearty self. He looked tired, there were circles under his eyes, and he looked as though he might even have lost some weight.

I looked away for a moment, then turned to him and said, "So, umm… " just as he said "So, how… " We both stopped, then we both started and stopped simultaneously again. Then I started to giggle. He looked slightly taken aback, then an expression of relief came over him as he began to chuckle, too. Soon we were both laughing heartily, and the tension dissipated. "Let me go get that curry, okay? Drink up, there's plenty more!" I said with a relieved grin as I headed to my kitchen. I dished up two generous helpings of spicy curry over rice, and brought them out, then went back to grab another cold bottle of beer, since the first one was already half empty.

We ate curry and drank beer and talked and laughed, almost—but not _quite_—like old times. I could still sense an undercurrent, like the tang of electricity in the air shortly before a storm. The curry was _very_ spicy, and we had opened the last of the five large bottles of beer by the time we finished. In retrospect, I can say that it was not the best idea to drink so much beer with a man who had already admitted his feelings for me. But at the time, I was just happy and relieved that we were able to enjoy each others' company once again as we had before.

After we finished eating, we decided to take our glasses outside and enjoy the brilliance of the stars in the clear winter night sky. We leaned against a fence, and looked up at the sky. The stars were amazing—the sky was so clear and the night so dark, lit only by the three-quarter moon just rising above the horizon. There must have been thousands, if not millions, of stars overhead. At least, it felt that way. We finished our drinks, enjoying the night in silence, and set our glasses on some adjacent fenceposts.

Just then, a chilly breeze blew down from the mountain through the trees, leaving me shivering. "Cold?" Kana asked. I nodded, my teeth chattering. He scooted closer and wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his heavy winter jacket. I leaned into the warmth of his body, and thought to myself that his scent of spices, hay, oats, and horses was rather appealing on some fundamental level.

"Alice… " Kana whispered hoarsely. I looked up at him, and he was watching me with an expression of mingled pain, love, hunger, and… was that fear I saw in his eyes? "Alice, are you quite sure it wouldn't work out? Can't you give me a chance, same as Cam and Mikhail? I don't know how much _they_ love you… but I _do_ know how much _I_ love you." I just stared into his eyes, feeling a wave of heat washing over me. I wasn't in love with Kana, I knew that…. Or did I? Was I so sure? Or had I just not really given it any serious thought? Would it really be so bad, to give him the same opportunity to try to win me over?

As I hesitated, intoxication and indecision rendering me mute for the moment, Kana lifted my face to his and leaned in to kiss me. I was taken by surprise, and I tried to pull away, but he held me firmly to him, his kisses urgent and needy. Again I felt the heat rising in me, and I gave up struggling, leaning into the kiss instead, my arms twining around his neck. I could taste the spices and beer on his breath, but I didn't care in that moment. After several minutes, I pulled free, gasping for air. He began to kiss down my neck, his hands slipping under my sweater and up my back, pulling me closer to him. I knew I had to stop him right away… or I might lose the ability to stop him at all.

I pulled back, pushing his hands away, and stood there, still breathless as I shook my head. "No… don't, Kana. I don't want this."

He looked at me, then leaned down and nuzzled my neck, whispering into my tingling skin, "Don't you? Are you sure? Because I _do_ want you—_only_ you. I've never wanted anyone so badly."

Again I pushed him back. "I'm sure. It's not right… even if I did think that I wanted it, you know I've had more to drink than I should have—we both have. I don't want to do something we'd regret later while we're under the influence. No matter what happens, Kana, I treasure your friendship, and it would kill me to lose it."

He put his hands down then, and turning away, mutely nodded. He grabbed his glass and began to walk back to the house, but I grabbed his hand to stop him. "But maybe… maybe I was too quick to say no before. Maybe we could have a chance. Only… I'm afraid that if it doesn't work out, if I fall in love with someone else, that I'll lose your friendship."

He turned back to me, his face transfigured by hope, then pulled me to him and held me tightly. "Hey, that won't happen. I promise. No matter what, I'll always love you, even if I can only love you as a friend. I could _never_ hate you… I could never turn my back on you."

I sobbed a little ragged sob of relief, burying my face in his chest. Then I looked up at him and said, "Okay, Kana. I'll… I'll think about it. I don't know how much of this is how I really feel and how much is due to the beer and the beautiful night. As with the others, I won't promise anything but to tell you the truth. Okay?"

He nodded, holding me tightly for a minute before returning me to my warm house and heading for his home, looking like his happy-go-lucky self once more. But I wondered if I'd done the right thing in giving him that tiny ray of hope….

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	18. Chapter 17

The next day was Thursday, and I hurried through my work so I'd be able to join Cam on his walk, if he went for one, that is. The snow was falling steadily, but not heavily, so I hoped he'd go and not just stay bundled up at home in cat-like comfort. Ever since his interchange with Mikhail, he'd been… different. Less bashful and withdrawn, more confident, and more open about his feelings for me. I admit, I liked this new Cam.

I thought about him as I hurried through my work, then I suddenly remembered the night before, turning red with embarrassment. What had I been thinking? Two suitors were such handful as it was—why had I even considered accepting a third? Especially… especially since I was almost certain that I couldn't return his affection. _Almost_… and I shivered as a thrill ran down my spine, remembering his ardent kisses and feverish touch. Well, I'd think about it, like I said I would. But as I'd already told Mikhail, desire was no substitute for love. And I was sure I'd need to keep that well in mind, dealing with this lot….

My winter chores were light, once the initial planting was done, so I managed to reach Bluebell before Cam would have finished his breakfast and left for his walk. So rather than intrude on his meal, I stopped to say hi to Ash, as usual. Unlike most of the men in the two towns, Ash had remained fairly consistently friendly. He didn't seem to get jealous so I assumed _he_ at least wasn't interested in me, which was a big relief—especially since he was Cam's best friend. I walked up to him with a warm smile and friendly greeting, only to have him give me a cool look and turn his back to me.

I groaned inwardly, recognizing the signs. _"This… could get awkward,"_ I thought to myself as I approached him apprehensively. "Ash? What's wrong?" Keeping his back to me, he simply shrugged one shoulder. "Hey, c'mon. What's up? Tell me."

He suddenly whirled around, and his eyes blazing with anger, he said, "I'm really mad, Alice. And you _know_ why, don't you?"

I stared at him, dumbfounded by the intensity of his baleful glare, and stammered, "Ash, I-I'm sorry? I honestly don't know what's upset you so much. But I'm sorry if I… "

Before I could finish my sentence, Ash grabbed me by both arms and pulled me quickly to him, crashing his lips into mine in a ferocious kiss. I'd never been kissed like that before. It frightened me, the tempest of pent-up rage and animal need that was released into that kiss. I struggled to pull away, but Ash held me fast—and he was quite strong. Too strong. I began to feel panic rising in me as I realized that I wasn't going to be able to get away—and I didn't know what he might do.

Suddenly he was jerked back, releasing me as he nearly lost his balance. Standing behind him was Cam, glaring at him with a look like thunder. He gripped Ash's shoulder tightly and whirled him around to face him, glowering at his friend as his other hand curled tightly into a fist. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" he snarled through clenched teeth. Ash stared blankly at him for a moment, then pushed him off, glared first at him and then at me, and stalked off into the barn without a word.

I wobbled, feeling like my legs were about to give way. Cam quickly grabbed my arm and steadied me. "Wh-what was that all about? What's going on?" I asked weakly, still confused and frightened by what had just taken place.

Cam didn't answer right away. Instead, he put his arm around me and escorted me out of the pasture. We walked over to the benches by the town gate—not as close by as those in the town square but far more private—and he brushed the snow off a bench before gesturing for me to have a seat. I sat down, still feeling shaky and bewildered, and he sat next to me. He let out a deep sigh, then turned to me, a mixture of anger, grief, and I thought maybe a little glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "You really don't know the effect you have on people, do you, Alice?"

I just stared at him for a minute, then said with a shiver, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Cam. What do you mean? I swear, I have no idea what's up with Ash. I've never, _ever_ invited him to kiss me—let alone like _that_!"

"No, of course not, that isn't what I meant. I mean… " Cam sighed again, "… well, you have this… charisma. You attract people to you. They find you irresistible. Mostly it seems to just make people love you and want to be friends with you or to take care of you or protect you. But… well, I know that Mikhail and I are not the only ones who have… _feelings_… for you."

I thought about this for a minute, trying to digest what Cam had just said. "So, wait… then… are you saying… you're saying that Ash… _Ash_ was in _love_ with me? But he's never… I never… when? How?" I stammered incoherently.

Cam put his arm around me and pulled my head to his shoulder, realizing that I was still in shock. "Yes. Mikhail isn't my only rival. My own best friend is, too. And seeing you and me together, while being treated as nothing more than a friend by you… I guess it was too much for him. I've never seen him so…"

"Angry?" I supplied as he hesitated.

"No, not just angry. He was… something just snapped, I guess. I think that after he's cooled off, he'll realize what he did… and I think he'll be shocked and ashamed of his behavior. He's not really a bad guy, you know. But… he really fell hard for you. I honestly don't think he even knew what he was doing—his desire for you just became more than he could handle."

I shivered, remembering the fury of his kiss, and Cam held me tightly. "I'm sorry, Alice. I should have warned you. I just didn't realize how bad it had gotten…."

"No," I interrupted, "it's not _your_ fault, Cam. And if you hadn't shown up right then…." I shivered again, wondering just how far Ash would have taken things if no one had been there to stop him.

"Like I said, he's not really a bad guy. I know that doesn't excuse the way he behaved, of course, but I honestly don't think you'll have any more problems with him. I'll have a talk with him, too. It'll be okay. He won't do it again, I'm certain of that. I've known him all our lives, remember?" I nodded, and just sat with my head on his shoulder and his arms around me, feeling safe and secure.

After several minutes, it dawned on me that I hadn't yet mentioned Kana… and that I needed to tell Cam because I'd promised to be honest with him. I sat up and looked at him, feeling worried again. "Cam… I have something I need to tell you."

He looked at me, and raised an eyebrow inquiringly, waiting for me to continue. "Remember, I promised you that I'd be honest—that I would never intentionally lie to you or deceive you. So… well, you know how you mentioned that Mikhail wasn't your only rival? It… it looks like you've gotten yet another. I… I don't _think_ I love him, not like he loves me anyway. But he's dear to me as a friend, and I said… I said I'd think about it…."

"Think about what, exactly?" Cam asked, his brow furrowed.

I took a deep breath, and said, "Kana… Kana asked me to marry him." Cam pulled back, staring at me in shock. "Like I said, I don't think I could love him… not like that. So I said no. But… he begged for the same chance to win me over as you and Mikhail. I just couldn't refuse him the chance to try…." I trailed off as I looked into his eyes, pleading silently for understanding.

Cam gave me a hard look, which suddenly softened a moment later. He put his arm back around me and pulled me close to him. With his other hand, he began to gently stroke my hair. "You… you're quite a woman, you know that?" He chuckled, then went on, "How is it that you've gotten most—if not all—of the bachelors in two towns to fall in love with you? I _should_ be upset… and I'm _definitely_ jealous… but… I just can't be anything but in love with you, Alice," he said, then he put his other arm around me and held me close as he leaned down and kissed me, a gentle but passionate caress, tender enough to erase the last vestiges of panic caused by Ash's more brutish embrace, yet intense enough to draw me in, wishing it would never end.

The next morning as I was tending to my livestock in the field, Dirk came by carrying a tallish cardboard box, a huge grin on his face. "Hey, Alice! How's it going?" he called as he walked up my drive.

"Fine, and you? What've you got there?" I called back, strolling up to the fence.

"Well, come and see!" he laughed, stopping and waiting for me to get there. I hurried over and took the box from his hands. Inside was a vase containing a large bouquet of rare blue roses—I knew they must have cost a small fortune, as I'd seen them for sale at Cam's shop on occasion—along with a bottle of perfume and a box of chocolates.

I let out a gasp of surprise, then I looked at Dirk with a mischievous grin, saying, "Why, Dirk! I didn't know you cared!" He turned bright red, but he only laughed and said there was a note in there somewhere, too, probably from the sender, but he didn't know who the sender was himself. He dug out the rest of my mail from his bag, then with a wave, he was off to begin his rounds.

I carried the box into my house, curious to know who was sending me such extravagant gifts, and why. I pulled out the flowers and placed them on a table near the front door, where I could see them from nearly anywhere in my house. Their heady fragrance had already begun to permeate the room, and I breathed of it deeply before returning to the box.

I pulled out the perfume and chocolates, and then I spotted a small envelope that had fallen underneath the candy. I pulled it out and looked at it—the only writing on the outside was simply "For Alice" in a hand I didn't recognize. I opened it and pulled out a folded sheet of fine stationary. I opened it and read the note. It simply said, "Dearest Alice, I'm so sorry for what I did. I know no apologies could ever make up for yesterday. I hope you will forgive me and continue to be my friend, but I will understand if you cannot or will not. Either way, I promise you that it will never happen again. It was inexcusable and despicable behavior, and wholly unworthy of you." And it was signed "Most sincerely, Ash." _"Cam must have had his talk with him,"_ I thought to myself, as I contemplated the letter. I was certain that Cam had made up the arrangement for Ash, and probably the perfume as well, even though his shop was closed both yesterday and today—it was just the sort of thing he would do to help a friend.

Then I noticed a tiny envelope still in the box, and pulled it out. Inside was a dried pressed pansy blossom—meaning "thoughts"—and a slip of paper with the lines "If I had a single flower for every time I think of you, I could walk forever in my garden.—Claudia A. Grandi" in beautiful handwriting that I recognized as Cam's. I blushed and smiled, and set the tiny blossom and note on my nightstand. I was trying to decide whether to write a reply, or to go and talk with Ash in person, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come on in," I called, and Kana opened the door, grinning at me as he did so.

"Hey, beautiful! Good morning!" he said as he shut the door behind him. Then he spotted the roses. "Whoa! Nice! Where'd those come from?" he said, opening his eyes wide.

"Oh, umm… from Ash," I replied with some hesitation. Kana looked surprised, so I quickly added, "We, uhh, had a bit of a falling out yesterday… so he sent those as an apology."

He raised an eyebrow, saying, "That's _some_ apology. Must've been quite a falling out."

"Yeah… it was," I said hesitantly. "I really don't want to talk about it, though, okay?"

"Okay," Kana replied. "Hey, I have the day off—wanna go for a ride with me?" he asked, brightening up.

I thought for a minute. It was really cold, and I had a lot to do that day for once, but a ride _did_ sound nice—and Nubium could use the exercise. "Okay, but just a short one. Today's a busy day for me."

"Awesome!" Kana exclaimed.

I smiled at him and said, "Let me finish my chores here and saddle up, and I'll meet you at your place in, say, an hour?"

"Sounds great!" he replied. "It'll seriously be a lot of fun!" And he took off back to his house. I smiled again at his enthusiasm—whether I fell in love with him or not, it was nice to have someone be so… _excited_ to spend time with me.

I finished up my chores, saddled Nubium, grabbed the things I wanted to ship out that day, and headed over. The shipping container was just across the road from Kana's house, so I stopped there first, then continued on to Kana's. He was just leading a young, flea-bitten grey gelding out of the barn, a tall, rangy fellow— homely, but he looked like he had the potential to grow into a strong, reliable horse under Kana's care and training. I honestly admired Kana's skill with horses. He could take _any_ horse, no matter how wild, and turn it into a gentle, well-mannered saddle horse you wouldn't hesitate to let your granny ride.

Kana leaped into the saddle and trotted out the gate, leaning down to push it closed and to bar it once they were through. "Hey there! This is Freckles. I'm training him for a client. He's a good boy, just a bit skittish. But we're working on that, aren't we, fella?" he said, gently patting the gelding's neck.

"Freckles?" I said with a smile, and Kana winced.

"Yeah, well… _I_ didn't pick the name. C'mon, let's go!" And with that, we were off, not racing up the path as we might have done other times of the year, because the snowy paths were too slippery to ride at high speeds. But nevertheless, our horses trotted quickly, each trying to outdo the other in friendly competition.

We rode up to the waterfall and dismounted just past the bridge. We tied our horses to some trees near the path, and strolled down the hill to the stream. "We should come back one of these days and do some ice fishing. Maybe tomorrow? Oh wait, that's Hiro's birthday, isn't it? Wasn't Dr. Ayame planning some kind of party for him?"

"Yeah," I replied, "but that's not till evening. Maybe we could fish for a couple of hours? It depends on whether the first of my winter crops are ready to harvest or not. I'll let you know in the morning, okay?"

"Sure," he said. "That'd be fun—I love to fish!" I smiled at him, thinking how much I enjoyed his cheerful, uncomplicated nature. It was a welcome change.

"Well," I said a few minutes later with a sigh, "I'd better get going. Sorry, Kana—I've really got to finish up my day's work, and then I need to make something for Hiro's party. I promised Dr. Ayame I would."

"Okay, well, thanks for spending some time with me. I had a lot of fun!" he replied, as we returned to our horses. He untied Freckles, then turned and gave me a quick kiss before mounting his horse. We parted ways, with him returning to Konohana while I continued on towards Bluebell.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	19. Chapter 18

Riding down the mountain towards Bluebell after parting ways with Kana, I found Cam strolling by the river, as was usual on his days off, and I stopped to talk to him. I told him about the gifts and note I'd received from Ash, and noticed a little half-smile on his lips. "So I'm assuming you had your talk with him, then?" I asked.

"Yeah, we talked it over. It… it was kind of ugly at first, but I think we're okay now. He really is nuts about you, and he hates himself for feeling that way, because he knows that… that I'm in love with you. So he's all torn up, because he's in love with the same woman as his best friend, and also because… well, because you haven't yet come to a decision about your own feelings. So he felt the whole situation had become… I guess kind of intolerable, to him anyway. You know how he is about having everything just perfect and tidy and organized. So it was driving him crazy that you haven't been clearer as to your preferences. And I guess, like I said, something just snapped that morning."

I gave him a stricken look, saying, "Cam, I'm so sorry. I don't mean… "

Cam put his arm around me and hugged me close, saying, "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm talking about _Ash_ here, not me or anyone else. I don't mean to say I _like_ it, having all these rivals popping up all the time and not knowing what the outcome will be. But I told you already, I'll wait for you to make up your mind in your own time, and I mean it. So you just take as long as you need. I don't know how the others feel, but I say that if anyone doesn't like it, they can throw in the towel and walk away. Right? No one's forcing them."

His arm slipped off my shoulders, and he grabbed my hand as we continued our walk. "Besides—and don't tell anyone this, okay? I think Laney has a crush on Ash. She'd heard us yelling at each other and was concerned, so I just told her we'd had a fight. Afterwards I saw her in the kitchen, busily cooking up some of his favorite foods to take over to him. I think once he gets over you, he'll find Laney there waiting for him." He smiled at the thought.

I grinned, saying, "Now there's an idea! If I could just get everyone paired off, then I wouldn't have any more problems, right? So… Ash and Laney, huh? And Kana and Georgia seem a pretty obvious match. I mean, they're both horse crazy!" Cam laughed, and I continued, saying "And though Hiro hasn't seemed especially interested (knock on wood!), I think he and Nori would be a perfect couple. Dirk… I don't know, Eileen maybe?" Cam laughed again at the idea of the youthful mailman paired off with the much more mature carpenter.

Then I gave him a mischievous look, saying, "I suppose I'd have to let Reina have _you_—she's a botanist, so you two should get along well."

Cam sobered up then, turning me to look me straight in the eye and saying, "No way. Sorry. Nothing against Reina—I hardly know her, though she seems nice. But you aren't going to get rid of me _that_ easily, Alice."

I squeezed his hand, saying, "I'm sorry, Cam. You know I was just teasing."

We resumed our walk, and after a minute, Cam said, "And what about Mikhail? With whom would you pair _him_?"

I scowled, thinking of all the eligible women in the villages. "Mikhail… he's a problem…." I mused.

"You're telling me," Cam muttered, half under his breath.

I squeezed his hand, then said, "He can't really be part of this game, anyway, can he? I mean, he's only staying here temporarily—he doesn't actually _live_ in either village. He could pack up and leave any time, never to return."

"Maybe… but I don't think he'll be leaving any time soon," Cam replied with a sigh.

We finished our walk, then strolled into Bluebell together. I hadn't offered Cam a ride on Nubium this time, knowing how he felt about horses, but to my surprise, this time he tentatively reached up to stroke her face while I was untying her reins to lead her along the path to town. Cam had always seemed at best uninterested in horses, and at worst even a little afraid of them. So I was delighted by his gesture, though I still refrained from suggesting a ride.

As we walked into town, I stopped at Grady's to tie Nubium up there, as I often did, and spotted Georgia in the pasture with the horses as usual. I waved to her, and she came over to say hi. She saw Cam, and said, "Oh, hey, Cam—say, I have some free time next Thursday. Do you want to go for a ride that day?"

I looked at her in startled astonishment, then turned to look at Cam, who had turned crimson. "Oh, ahh… maybe. I'll, umm, I'll talk to you later about that, okay Georgia? We need to go, right now!" And with that, he grabbed my hand and pulled me quickly away from there. I was completely baffled by his behavior, but I also felt like laughing, he looked so much like a naughty schoolboy.

After a minute, we reached the plaza and he slowed his pace, then he stopped and looked at me, still flushed bright red. "So… you want to go riding? With Georgia?" I asked.

"It… it's not how it looks!" he protested, flushing even more red.

"How does it look?" I asked Cam innocently, then softening at his miserable countenance, I said, "It's okay, Cam. I really don't mind if you go riding with Georgia or anyone else. I mean, I don't have any more claim on you and your time than you do on me and mine. I'm just curious, that's all—you've always seemed like you almost dislike horses, or maybe even were afraid of them."

He nodded, saying, "Yeah, I don't really like to be around horses… or most large animals, for that matter. I guess I'm more of a cat person than an animal person…."

"So… then why the sudden change of heart?" I asked, even more curious.

"It… it was _supposed_ to be a surprise," he admitted, reddening again as he glared in Georgia's general direction. "I know how much you love horses and horseback riding, and… well, I admit I get kind of jealous of how you and Kana go off on these long rides and have so much fun together. And I kept wishing I could do that with you, too. So… I asked Georgia if she'd teach me to ride horses. She wasn't supposed to blab!"

I could hardly believe my ears—Cam, attempting to overcome his nervousness of horses just so that he could go on long rides with me. _"This,"_ I thought emphatically, tears pricking my eyes, _"beats any number of roses or candy or whatever as far as sweet, thoughtful gifts go."_ I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him, then said, "Cam, that has to be just about the sweetest thing anyone has done for me, ever. I'm so happy—even if you don't succeed, I'm just happy that you're even trying. But I really hope you do succeed—I'd _love_ to go riding with you." He gave me a hug, looking pleased if a little embarrassed, and then we parted ways.

After not a little hesitation, I headed over to visit Ash. I admit that as I approached him, I nearly turned and ran—my heart was pounding and I felt a definite surge of adrenaline as I fought the urge to flee. I pulled myself together and quickly walked up to him before I could change my mind. He turned as I walked up to him, first looking surprised, then blushing dark red, then looking apprehensive before looking down at the ground.

"So… uhh… " I trailed off, not sure what to say.

"Hey. I… I wasn't sure if I'd see you anytime soon," he said, nervously, without looking up at me.

"Yeah… me either, to be honest. I, uhh, got your flowers and things. Thanks. They were… they were very nice."

"Oh, uhh, well… you know… I don't know why I did what I did," he said, glancing nervously at me and looking away again. "It was so wrong, and I _knew_ it was, but I… I couldn't stop myself. It was like someone else was doing those things while I watched, and I couldn't move or speak to stop it. I still can't believe I treated you that way. I feel so… disgusted with myself. I'm so sorry, Alice."

I took a deep breath, and said, "It's… well, maybe not exactly okay, but… but I forgive you, Ash." He looked at me then, astonished. "I know that you aren't really like that. I don't know why you did it, either, but I believe you—and Cam—when you say that it won't happen again. And I'd like to try to be friends again. But it might take a while… you really frightened me, and, well, to be honest, I find I'm still kind of scared of you. It'll take some time before I can trust you and feel comfortable around you like before. So… just so you know where things stand."

He nodded, saying, "Thanks, Alice. I really don't deserve your forgiveness or your friendship, I know that. But… I'm really glad you're willing to give me another chance."

I looked away for a minute, thinking. Then I turned back and looked him in the eyes, and said, "You know, Cam said you feel frustrated by the whole situation with me and him and Mikhail and now Kana… I know it's a mess, and I know it must be frustrating, not just for them but for others as well. I had no idea that you felt that way. I… "

"It's okay," he interrupted. "I know you don't feel the same way. Don't let it worry you."

I nodded, then continued, "Anyway, I don't know _how_ I feel about Cam and the others right now. I wish I did. You have no idea how much I wish that…. But all I can do for now is… is keep doing what I've been doing all along: being honest. I won't lie to anyone. And I won't resent it if anyone gets tired of waiting and goes his own way. I don't _want_ to string them along and keep them in limbo. But I can't force love. If it's going to happen, it'll happen in its own time. So until then… until then, we're all stuck waiting on my heart."

Ash just looked at me for a few minutes, thinking. Then he slowly nodded, saying, "It can't be helped, then, can it? I believe you when you say that you wish it wasn't the way it is. And I believe you're a genuinely nice person—you wouldn't do this just for the fun of it, unlike some girls. So if you _are_ doing it, it's because you really feel like you have no choice. But as Cam told me yesterday, the guys do. If they don't like the waiting, they can take a hike. So if they're hanging on, it's by their own choice, not because you're somehow _making_ them. I don't know why, but I was blind to that before, and... it made me so angry, thinking you were just toying with them… with all of us. I can see it now, though, and I know I was wrong to have ever thought that of you. You just aren't that mean-spirited." With that, we parted, the first tentative step towards mending our friendship taken.

When I returned to collect Nubium afterwards, Georgia ran up, and looking embarrassed, she apologized profusely. "I'm sooo sorry, Alice. Cam asked me to keep it a secret, but I just clean forgot. I hope I didn't spoil anything?"

She looked worried, so I quickly reassured her, "No, it's fine Georgia. I'm delighted that he's at least trying to learn. Maybe once he's a little more confident in the saddle, we can arrange a group ride—you and me and Cam and Kana!"I added, suddenly remembering my comment to Cam the day before about Georgia and Kana.

Her eyes lit up, and she replied, "Oh, that would be so much fun! I'd love that!" Then with a wave, she returned to her horses, and I mounted Nubium and headed home.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	20. Chapter 19

The rest of winter passed quickly. While my chores were generally lighter due to fewer crops and less foraging, I kept busy in other ways: riding and fishing with Kana, long tromps through the snowy woods and fields with Cam, and violin lessons with Mikhail—he came over to my house two or three days a week, and we'd play our violins for an hour or two, sometimes longer when time permitted.

In addition, both Yun and Ina had asked Mikhail if he would give Ying and Rahi lessons. He'd balked somewhat at first, then decided that if I'd agree to assist, he'd consent to give them a lesson for an hour once a week. So I was persuaded to join them, although he admitted to me later that he'd only agreed in order to have more time with me… and also, that he really loved to watch me with the children. "I like to watch you with them, and imagine you and I married, with children of our own, and think to myself that perhaps one day… you will play with our children as you play with those two," he had said, smiling down at me. Embarrassed, I had quickly changed the subject, to his evident amusement.

New Year's Eve fell on a Thursday, so I didn't expect to see Cam at all that day. I was so busy cleaning and doing chores and preparing for the holiday, that I wouldn't have time to get over to Bluebell that day. I figured I'd just go visiting on New Year's Day instead. So I was surprised when I returned from my morning chores, ready to start my house cleaning, and found Cam waiting for me. He smiled when I walked in, saying, "I knew you'd be too busy to come and visit me today, so I took some time out from helping Laney and Howard with cleaning to come and see you."

I gave him a delighted hug, then said, "I'm so happy you came to see me, but I'll have to clean while you visit in order to get it all done before the celebration tonight. I hope you don't mind too much?"

He shook his head, saying, "Not at all, in fact, I'd like to help. I'm handier than I look—I do my fair share of housework at Howard's, you know. What shall I do first?"

I was a little surprised, but after a brief hesitation, I said, "Well… you could do the bookshelves for me, if you don't mind? You'll need to pull all the books off the shelves, carry them outside one or two at a time to dust off, wipe down the empty shelves, and then put the books back neatly on the shelves. Could you do that? It really needs to be done—I neglect that chore a lot because it's so time consuming."

"Sure, I'd be happy to," he replied, and got right to work.

Meanwhile, I pulled all the linens off the bed, removed the curtains, and grabbed all the bath linens. Then I washed everything and hung them outside to dry. Luckily it was not snowing that day—it was chilly, but sunny and beautiful outside.

While the linens dried, I washed the windows, then I pulled all the dishes out of the cupboards, wiped them off, cleaned the cupboard shelves, and put everything back. Then I wiped down the walls and the light fixtures, cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen, dusted and polished the furniture, and finally swept and mopped the floor.

When I was done, I put on the kettle to make some tea. Cam had finished with the books and had taken the small jute rugs outside, shaken and beat them until they were clean, and replaced them on the clean floor. He looked around in sheer amazement, everything sparkling clean—the only thing remaining was to bring in the linens, iron them, and put them back in place. He looked at me with admiration, and said, "Wow, you're amazing! It's only been a few hours, and you've cleaned the whole house from top to bottom!"

"Well, I hate cleaning… so I do it as fast as I can just to get it over and done with." I said with a laugh as I handed him a cup of tea. "Besides, you did some of the most time-consuming chores for me. Thank you so much!"

We sat at my table and sipped tea and nibbled some cookies I'd baked that morning as we chatted. Then he said he needed to head back to Bluebell—it was a long walk, and he wanted to get back in time to help out some more before cleaning up for the village celebration that night. I said, "Hey, why don't I take you back on Nubium? She goes at a good pace, so you'll get there faster. Besides, it's the least I can do after all your help! And you won't be so tired out if you ride instead of walking—it'd be shame to fall asleep at the party tonight!"

He hesitated a moment, but then he nodded and smiled. "Sure, that'd be great. And besides, then I'll get to spend a little extra time with you." I blushed, then returned his smile as I pulled on my boots and a jacket.

We headed to the barn, and I saddled Nubium, led her out, and mounted her. I walked her over to the fence, so that Cam could climb up behind using the fence. He was awkward climbing up behind me, but fortunately Nubium was a very patient and calm mare. Once he'd managed to get up behind me, I told him to wrap his arms around me and hang on, but to leave my arms and legs free. He held on tightly, squeezing a little hard in his nervousness.

I started Nubium at a slow walk, to allow Cam time to get used to riding behind me. After we passed out of the village gates and were climbing up the mountain path, I sped her up gradually until at last we were moving at a gentle canter. Most of the snow had melted, so the path was fairly clear and relatively dry. Cam eventually relaxed, once he started to become accustomed to her gait and to holding on to me and gripping with his knees. After we passed the peak and started to head back down, I slowed her down to a fast walk—I didn't want her to have too much momentum in case she hit a slippery patch.

Cam had relaxed enough by this point to loosen his grip; he still held me tightly, but now it felt more like an embrace than a death grip. He leaned forward, rubbing his cheek against my hair, and murmured, "You know, this is pretty nice. I think I could get used to this." I smiled but said nothing, just slowed Nubium a tiny bit more to make the ride last a little longer.

When we arrived, Cam panicked a little when we arrived at Howard's. "How do I get down?" he whispered frantically into my ear. I stifled a laugh, and told him to just swing one leg over, taking care not to kick the mare in the backside, and slide down, holding onto the back of the saddle. He did so, almost as awkwardly as he mounted, but at least he avoided kicking my mare.

Once he was down, I dismounted, then thanked him for coming to see me and for his help. I gave him a kiss, and told him to have fun at the party. He wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my head, and said softly, "How can I really enjoy it, when _you_ won't be there?" Then he gave me a kiss on the top of my head and went into the café. I watched him leave, waving back to him when he turned at the door and waved to me. I mounted and hurried back to Konohana to clean up in preparation for the celebration.

At the party that night, I wore a special new dress that I'd made recently with Nori's help. It was a mid-calf length cheongsam in red silk with sprays of ivory, gold, and pink flowers scattered across it and thigh-high slits. It had turned out beautifully, thanks to Nori's expertise. I wore it with matching red shoes and gold jewelry, and I piled my hair on top of my head in the way that Laney had shown me, held in place with a beautiful cloisonné comb that had been my grandmother's. Pleased with the overall effect, I wrapped my black lacy shawl around my shoulders, grabbed my tiny handbag, and headed over to the town hall.

My preparations had taken a little longer than I'd expected, so I was the last one to arrive. I left my wrap and handbag in the cloakroom and hurried on in. I breathlessly apologized to Ina, who had been greeting the party-goers at the door into the main hall. She just smiled, saying, "No problem, there's still plenty of time. You look lovely, Alice!" I blushed happily at her praise, thanked her, and returned the compliment. I went into the hall and began to make the rounds, greeting people, wishing them a happy year, and making small talk. Ina had music playing—loud enough to dance to, but soft enough for conversation. Tables along one side were laden with food and beverages, flowers and pine boughs decorated the tables, and bright red paper lanterns hung from the beams. Chairs and small tables had been set up in little clusters around the periphery of the room, leaving the center clear for dancing.

I was chatting with Yun and Dr. Ayame when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned, and Kana was there, smiling at me. He was dressed up all in black: jeans, dress shirt, tie, leather blazer, and boots, with his long brown hair tied back into a ponytail as usual. He had two glasses in his hand, and he offered one to me, saying, "Care for a drink?" I smiled and thanked him, and we clinked our glasses. He took a swallow of his drink, then said, "Wow, Alice, you look… incredible. Really, really beautiful."

I blushed and thanked him, saying, "You look great, too, Kana. I've never seen you so dressed up before!"

Looking embarrassed, he shrugged helplessly, saying, "Well, ya know, there's not much point in dressing up to work with horses!" I laughed and agreed.

We stood together for a little while, sipping our drinks and chatting. After a time, I noticed Mikhail standing to one side, with Nori and Reina standing and chatting with him. I could see the reason for their attraction—Mikhail, always careful of his appearance, had clearly gone to some extra pains tonight, dressed in immaculate platinum grey trousers, vest, and shirt, his black shoes and narrow black tie the only departure in color. But he appeared to not be giving the girls his full attention—every time I spotted him, he was staring at me, even while he was speaking to them.

After a short while, he excused himself and came over to me. He nodded to Kana, then turned to me and asked if I'd care to dance. I turned red, not sure what to do—I loved to dance, and Kana had not yet asked me. But at the same time, I was talking to Kana, and it seemed rude to walk off with another man like that.

"Don't you like to dance?" Mikhail asked with a smile as I hesitated, knowing full well that I loved it.

Kana glowered at Mikhail, but despite his rough exterior, he was a gentleman at heart. So all he said was, "It's okay, Alice. I should go find Dirk. He wants to talk to me about a horse for his brother. You go on ahead and have fun." He started to turn to leave, then with an odd, defiant look, he turned back, pulled me to him in one swift, smooth move, and kissed me. He released me and walked off without another word, leaving me speechless with surprise.

Mikhail said nothing, just glared at Kana's retreating figure. Then he pulled me out onto the dance floor, where soft, lovely music set the tone for a slow dance. Holding me close, Mikhail's angry expression softened as he looked into my eyes. "After all," he said a moment later, "I can't really blame Kana. You look enchanting. Every man's eyes are on you tonight, and Kana certainly is a man. Even young Hiro and Dirk have had eyes for no one else. Or hadn't you noticed?" he asked, his tone amused and lightly teasing.

"Oh, stop, Mikhail," I protested with some discomfort. "Nori and Reina are much prettier than I am. And I'm sure Hiro is interested in Nori, not me!"

His teasing expression softened into a tender but serious look, and he replied, "Alice, my sweet, innocent, beautiful Alice, you just have no idea what an effect you have on people, do you? You are… irresistible." He leaned in, holding me more tightly and nuzzling my hair, as he whispered, "You are more intoxicating than wine—more even than music. You are the song my heart sings all day, the melody that weaves through my dreams every night." I shivered, my skin all a-tingle at his touch and his words. I pulled back slightly, wishing to maintain a more decorous manner in such a public place.

After taking a minute to compose myself, I commented, "You know, Cam said much the same thing a while back. About the effect I have on people, I mean. He said I have some kind of charisma that people find irresistible—that mostly it makes people love me and want to help and protect me, but that sometimes it backfires, as it did with Ash. I don't see why people feel that way, though-it's not as though I do anything special." I puzzled over it, frowning in concentration.

Mikhail reached a hand out and smoothed my furrowed brow, saying, "No… maybe you just can't see it. But it's there—trust me. I know, since I've felt its pull on me for more than a decade—even in your absence, even when I tried to make myself hate you."

I gave a small sigh, and replied, "Well, Master Emil certainly didn't seem to feel it."

"No," Mikhail admonished gently. "You're wrong. He _did_ feel it. He just resisted it better than most. And that, I think, is why he felt it necessary to separate us—he knew _I_ couldn't resist you. I can see that now in hindsight. And he was right—I can't. I'd give _anything_ to be with you, Alice. I'd even give up music, if that was what it took."

I gasped and pulled back in shock. The idea of Mikhail giving up music was… unbearable. It would be like tearing the wings from a butterfly. With a flash of insight, I finally comprehended Master Emil's fears. If Mikhail was willing to give up anything, even music, to win my love…. I shuddered in dismay, holding him tightly and burying my face in his chest. I'd never ask him to give up music, but if he somehow thought that doing so was what he had to do to win me…. I had to be sure that never happened. Because if he gave up music and lost me anyway—he'd have nothing left to sustain him.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	21. Chapter 20

As I danced with Mikhail, worrying about his declaration that he'd even give up music, if necessary, in order to win me, my reverie was suddenly interrupted when a voice behind me said, "May I cut in?" I jumped slightly, startled, and turned to see Kana standing there, scowling at Mikhail.

Mikhail glared back, saying, "No, you may not. I'm sorry, but the lady is with me. Find another partner." Then he pulled me around, turning his back to Kana, who looked furious.

He grabbed Mikhail by the shoulder and spun him around, growling, "I think we need to talk. Now. Outside."

Mikhail gave him a long look, anger darkening his ice blue eyes to steel. He nodded curtly, turned and kissed my hand, saying, "Please wait here, Alice. I'll soon return," and stalked out the door, Kana close behind him.

I was dumbstruck for a minute, then looking around in a panic, I spotted Reina's uncle, Mako, deep in conversation with Ina. I ran up to them, crying, "Mako! Please! Kana and Mikhail just went outside—they're furious with each other, and I'm afraid they may get into a fight!" Mako and Ina turned startled faces to me, then looked at each other. "Please, Mako! I don't want them to get hurt! What if Mikhail hurts his hand—it might ruin his ability to play!"

I was in tears by this time, and frustrated by his slow response, I grabbed Mako's arm and started to tug and pull on him, trying to get him to follow me out the door. He laid a hand on my arm, saying, "Take it easy, missy. So, you think they're going to fight? Well, it's what men do sometimes. And sometimes a man has to take a stand to defend what's important to him. So let them be. It might not be as bad as you fear. And besides, I've seen how young Mikhail moves—like a wild cat. I wouldn't be surprised if behind that pretty face, he had a surprise or two."

I looked at him in shock, barely comprehending that he was refusing to try to stop them. Then with a sob, I turned and ran out the door, determined to do what I could. _"Damn their pride," _I thought to myself._ "I couldn't bear it if either of them was hurt, especially over something so stupid!"_

I burst out into the frosty night air, and looking frantically around, I heard voices coming from north of the town hall. I ran up the road, following the sound of voices—or what I could hear of them over the pounding of my heart. I found them facing off just outside of the town gates. Kana was shouting something about Mikhail not owning me, while Mikhail just stood calmly and let Kana rant.

Just as I reached the gates, Kana hauled off and punched Mikhail right in the face… except that when his fist arrived, Mikhail was no longer there. With a gasp of surprise, I watched as Mikhail easily slid under Kana's blow, slipped to one side, and as neatly as you could imagine, grabbed Kana's arm, twisted it behind, and flipped him over and flat onto his face. He stood back, still wordless, not noticing me standing at the gates, watching them in both shock and fascination.

After a minute, Kana struggled up, groaning and gasping for air. He knelt there for a minute, trying to catch the breath that had been knocked from his body. Then he rose, angrier even than before, and charged at Mikhail, apparently intending to tackle him to the ground. Again, Mikhail eluded him, this time crouching low and sweeping his leg under Kana, knocking his legs out from under him and sending him crashing to the ground on his side. Kana bellowed as he landed, his arm twisted strangely underneath him. I rushed over at that point, screaming at them to stop it. Mikhail stepped back in surprise at my sudden appearance; Kana lay on the ground, grimacing and swearing, oblivious to my presence at first.

I helped him to sit up, and when I saw his arm hanging at an unnatural angle, I knew he'd broken it, possibly badly. _"But,"_ I thought, _"it could have been so much worse."_ I turned to Mikhail, saying, "Quick, go get Dr. Ayame! His arm's broken!" Mikhail nodded and ran back towards the hall to get the doctor. Meanwhile, I held Kana in my arms, trying to keep him still for fear he'd cause more damage to his arm by moving. "Oh, Kana," I said in exasperation mingled with relief. "What am I going to do with you?"

Dazed from shock and pain, Kana peered up at me, trying to focus on my face. "Yeah," he gasped, "guess I can be kind of an idiot. Not too cool, huh?" Then he blacked out, slumping over onto my lap.

It felt like an eternity before Mikhail returned with the doctor, both at a run, but I'm sure it was really only a very few minutes. Hiro came racing up a moment later, clutching Dr. Ayame's black bag. Mako followed shortly behind—which was fortunate, because he was the only one strong enough to lift Kana. He carried him to the clinic and gently laid him on a bed, then the doctor moved in to examine him, with help from Hiro. Kana was out so deeply that he didn't wake at all—that is, until Dr. Ayame set his arm and he awoke with a heart-wrenching roar of agony.

I blanched and turned away, feeling intensely nauseated. I hadn't been prepared for the sudden sickening snap of shattered bone being forced back into place. The floor grew unsteady beneath my feet, and I saw little black spots dancing before my eyes. Dr. Ayame somehow sensed my affliction and shouted, "Mikhail! Get Alice out of here, quickly, before she drops!" With that, Mikhail grabbed me and started to pull me away, but it was too late—the room whirled madly and everything faded to black.

I woke up feeling dazed and disoriented, and found myself in Mikhail's arms as he gently carried me across the road to the bench under the cherry tree outside Nori's garden. He sat on the bench, holding me on his lap with his arms around me to keep me warm. After a moment of confusion, I suddenly recalled the events leading up to my passing out. I railed wildly against him for fighting Kana and breaking his arm, for risking being injured himself, and for scaring me so badly, pummeling his chest with my small fists for emphasis as I ranted and raved. Then I dissolved into tears as the adrenaline wore off, leaving me shaking and exhausted as I wept. Mikhail sat silently, allowing me to vent my overwrought nerves on him. He just gently pulled me close to him, holding me tightly and tenderly stroking my hair, letting me cry—great, gasping, hysterical sobs—until finally I grew calmer.

"Alice," he murmured softly. "I'm sorry that you saw that. And I'm sorry for upsetting and frightening you. You might not understand this, but it had to be done. Kana was itching for a fight. He's a gentle man by nature—you have to be, to be as good with animals as he is. But even he has his limits, and when he is pushed beyond them… well, he's the type that there's no stopping him once he's made up his mind. And he's a man of action, not of words. I wasn't afraid for myself. I'd studied martial arts some years ago, and I knew from experience that I would be fine. I didn't intend to hurt Kana—that was an accident, plain and simple, I swear. My intent was just to wear him out, and then talk—_really_ talk, I mean, not using that as a euphemism for fighting. I didn't expect you to follow, and I certainly didn't expect Kana to get so badly injured. I'm sorry, Alice, so very, very sorry for causing you so much distress. But at least there won't be a sequel, you'll see. Kana will have gotten the need for physical confrontation out of his system, and, well, I'm not a fighter by nature."

He tucked my head under his chin, wrapping his arms around me again as I shivered, both from the reaction setting in and from the cold night air. "You're freezing out here," he said after a moment. "Let's head back to the hall, if you think you can walk now?" I hesitated a minute, then nodded. I wasn't sure I felt like facing the villagers—I didn't know what they might think of me, being the cause of a fight between two popular men that resulted in such a bad injury for one of them. But I had to get my handbag and shawl, so… better to get it over with. Or so I told myself, although my apprehension increased as we climbed the steps to the town hall.

I ducked into the cloakroom first, to repair the damages to my appearance. My hair had started to slip from the comb and was falling in long tendrils all around my face, which was flushed and tear-stained. My dress was damp and dirty where I'd knelt on the frosty grass holding Kana, and the heels of my shoes were wrecked. I groaned at my appearance, then mentally chided myself for being so selfish and vain as I dug my little hairbrush out of my handbag and brushed the tangles from my hair, letting it tumble down over my shoulders instead of pinning it back up. I cleaned up my dress and shoes as best I could, and splashed my red eyes with cold water. I repaired my makeup, and decided I'd done as much as I could with my appearance.

When I emerged, Mikhail was standing there, waiting for me. "Why didn't you warn me I was such a dreadful sight?" I asked him, slightly reproachfully.

He smiled as he pulled me to him and kissed me, then whispered to me, "Because you were and are and always will be beautiful, Alice."

He pulled me towards the hall, but I resisted, feeling a sense of panic. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I… I'm not sure I feel up to facing everyone. I feel so guilty—about your fight, and about Kana's injury. What will everyone say?"

He looked at me with amusement, saying, "Do you _really_ care what others think?"

"Well… n-no, but at the same time, kind of yes, too," I stammered. "I mean, I don't care what others think when I'm doing what I know is right or when I'm just being myself. But at the same time… I have to _live_ with these people, you know? And it could get very uncomfortable if everyone blamed me for your fight and hated me for it. It's a small town, after all."

"No one is going to hate you," Mikhail assured me, putting his arm around my shoulders. "Watch and see. I predict that a few will be shocked, all will be concerned about Kana's injury, many will blame him for our fight although a few will blame me, everyone will be sympathetic towards you, and every single person in town will adore having an exciting end to the year and something to talk about for days, if not weeks." I laughed at his humorous prediction, feeling a little better, and we went in.

Everyone there knew that _something_ had happened. That was obvious, from my frantic appeals for help to Mako, not to mention from the way Mikhail had burst into the room, calling for Dr. Ayame. A large group gathered around us, and I felt swept away by the flood of questions that crashed over me.

Mikhail, sensing that I felt overwhelmed, held up a hand, saying, "Wait just a minute, everyone. Alice needs a little air. Let me get you a seat," he said to me as he led me to a nearby chair. He left me there, and returned a moment later with a glass of wine. "Drink this," he said, handing the glass to me. "It'll fortify you a little." I sipped it, avoiding the curious eyes of the crowd that had followed us.

"Better?" Mikhail asked after a moment. I nodded, then he turned to the others. "All right, then. Allow me to fill you all in on what happened." And with that, he launched into a detailed description of the night's events, starting with our dance. He was very fair in his presentation, not attempting to elude blame or to engage sympathy on his behalf, nor to present Kana in an unfavorable light. When he was done, the crowd dispersed, settling into small groups talking excitedly amongst themselves. Mikhail sat in the chair next to me, and put his arm around me for comfort and support. Nori came up to me, concerned and sympathetic, followed by Yun and Ina.

Eventually every villager stopped to chat and commiserate, maybe ask a question or two. But it seemed to go pretty much as Mikhail had predicted. My relief was nearly tangible. Soon afterwards it was time for the countdown to midnight, and as Mikhail pulled me to my feet to join in the countdown, I felt fresh pangs of guilt that Kana, Dr. Ayame, and Hiro were missing out.

As soon as the countdown was completed, everyone shouted "Happy New Year!" in unison, our voices reverberating through the hall. Mikhail caught me up in his arms and kissed me, an ardent kiss full of fire and passion, then he released me, murmuring, "I hope this year will be a very happy year, Alice, for both of us."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	22. Chapter 21

Soon after midnight, we left the hall. Mikhail said that he would walk me home, although I told him I wanted to stop by the clinic on the way home to check on Kana. We stepped inside, and leaving Mikhail in the front room, I walked back to the room where Kana had been taken. It was very quiet in the clinic, so I removed my shoes and walked as silently as I could, not wanting to wake anyone. Through the open door to his room, I saw Kana apparently in a deep sleep, his splinted and wrapped arm resting on top of the blankets. Hiro sat in a chair next to him, eyelids drooping and head nodding with exhaustion, his textbook starting to slip from his hands. He started when I tiptoed in, looking surprised. He put a finger over his lips, and I nodded as he rose.

We stepped out into the hall and he softly closed the door behind him. In a whisper, I asked, "How is he?"

"He'll be okay, Alice," he whispered in reply. "Kana's an amazingly tough guy, you know. Dr. Ayame gave him a shot of an analgesic to help with the pain, and it's knocked him out for now. Sleep's what he needs most, anyway. She says as soon as the swelling has gone down, she'll make a cast for him, and then he can go home. He'll have to take it easy for a while, though."

I nodded, then whispered, "Hiro, let me stay with him tonight. You need some rest, and well, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight anyway. So I'll go home and change into something more comfortable, then I'll come back so you can go rest."

Hiro looked dubious, so I reassured him that I'd come and get him and Dr. Ayame if anything happened. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Okay, then. Dr. Ayame thought nothing would happen anyway, that he'll just sleep. She mainly wants someone to be here when he wakes up or if he seems to be in pain. I suppose you can do that nearly as well as I could."

I sighed with relief, said I'd be back as soon as I could, and quickly left. I pulled Mikhail out the clinic's door, closing it as softly as I could behind us. Once we were back out on the road, I said, "I'm coming back. I'm just going home to change my clothes. Hiro has been sitting up with him to in case he wakes up and needs more pain medication, but he's half dead with exhaustion. So since I don't think I could possibly sleep anytime soon, I'm going to take over. I feel so badly about everything, it's the least I can do—and besides, Kana's my best friend."

Mikhail put his arm around my shoulders, saying, "Alice… don't feel guilty. It's not your fault that he got hurt. You aren't to blame."

I shook my head, feeling tears forming in my eyes again. "No, it _is_ my fault. You don't understand. I promised Kana that I'd be honest with him… and I wasn't. I was deceiving myself, and so I deceived him, too. If I'd been honest with us both, none of this would have happened."

"What do you mean?" Mikhail asked, looking at me curiously.

"I mean… I mean, I'm not in love with him, Mikhail. I _knew_ that, but I wanted to try. I love him very dearly as a friend, and he wanted so much to be loved back… so I tried to fool myself into thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could… but I can't. I don't love him like that, plain and simple. I just can't, and I see now that I never will. I keep saying that you can't force love… but that is exactly what I was trying to do. So you see, it _is_ my fault that he's hurt." I finished with a ragged sob.

Mikhail said nothing for a minute, simply walked in silence beside me, his arm still around my shoulders. When we reached my house, he put his hands on my shoulders, looked at me, and said, "Alice, please don't blame yourself for tonight. Kana did exactly what he wanted to do. He must have known that there was some risk involved—he's not a bully, and he'd never have challenged me to a fight if he hadn't thought there was a real chance of him losing to me. As for feeling as though you've been deceiving him… there's a difference between intentionally leading someone on and fooling yourself. You didn't set out to mislead him. And… I think he very likely knew, deep down, that it wasn't going to work out. He's not a fool, and he must have known that whatever you felt for him, it lacked that spark that kindles friendship, setting it aflame and transforming it into love. So don't be so hard on yourself, all right? You might feel that you let him down, but if he's at all the man I think he is, he won't share your sentiments."

I nodded, swallowing back my tears. "Hey, let me walk you back to the clinic, okay? I just happen to be heading that way myself," he said, with just the barest hint of humor in his voice. I giggled a little, feeling an odd sense of relief, then nodded agreement.

I opened the door and asked him to come in and wait while I changed. He accepted my offer of tea, so I put the kettle on to heat while I changed my clothes. The floor plan in my house was an open one, with one large room that contained living, cooking, dining, and sleeping areas. The only room that was discrete was the bathroom, so I grabbed a change of clothes from my wardrobe and went in there to dress, leaving Mikhail poring over my bookshelves.

When I returned, he had seated himself on the small sofa and was flipping through the volume of Bashō that I'd recently finished reading. I dropped my soiled dress onto a table near my bed to be washed later, started the tea brewing, and came over to sit next to him.

"Do you like Bashō?" I asked.

"Yes, though I've only read a little. I'm afraid that in my lifelong pursuit of music, I've rather neglected the other arts," he replied, with a hint of regret in his voice.

I went to finish preparing the tea, then returned with two cups and a teapot on a tray. I set the tray on the table, poured the tea, and handed him a cup, saying, "If you'd like, you're welcome to borrow that book. It belonged to my grandparents; it came with the house. I finished reading it just a few days ago. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and I marked the verses that I especially enjoyed."

"Thank you, I'd like that. And I'll be sure to look for those verses you've marked," he replied with a smile.

He set the book down on the table and sipped his tea thoughtfully, as we sat in silence. I had a feeling that he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how—or if—to do so. So I drank my tea in silence, too, grateful for the warmth spreading from my center outwards to my chilled limbs, though it didn't quite reach my extremeties. I had changed into jeans and a sweater, but I still felt cold. Despite the tea and the change of clothing, I shivered, unable to eliminate all the chill from my bones.

Mikhail noticed me shivering, and looking concerned, set his cup down and saying, "Are you all right? Maybe you shouldn't sit up all night, after all."

"No, no—I'll be fine. I just got chilled running around in the night air in that dress. If I'd known I'd be spending half the night outside, I wouldn't have worn it!" I said ruefully.

"Oh, but I'm so glad you did," Mikhail said with a smile. "You are always beautiful, but tonight you were stunning." I blushed at his praise, though I was pleased that he thought so.

I drank a second cup, and even a third, but still I shivered. Mikhail watched me, the concern on his face deepening. "Alice, I'm worried about you going back out into the cold. I think you should stay home. I can stop by and tell Hiro you aren't well enough to return tonight. If it would make you feel better, I can even offer to sit with Kana in your place."

I choked back a laugh at that idea. "Imagine Kana waking up to find you sitting there, gazing down at him with devoted concern!" I exclaimed, unable to hold back the laughter any longer.

Mikhail chuckled at the mental image, replying, "Well, I'm glad to hear you laughing anyway. But seriously, I am concerned. I really don't think you should go. Why don't you just go to bed? Hiro will be fine. After all, this is what doctors do, isn't it? And if he aspires to be a doctor, he has to get used to it."

"That's as may be," I replied, "but I promised I'd return, and I keep my promises. I've already taken longer than I ought to have done. I should leave now and get over there."

Mikhail gave me a long, thoughtful look, then said, "And what if I _make_ you go to bed?"

My eyes narrowed as I replied, "And how on earth would you manage _that_? Tie me up?"

"If necessary," he replied evenly.

I shrieked, jumping up and backing away, saying, "Mikhail Rehn! Don't you _dare_!"

"Then will you please get into your nightclothes and into your bed yourself, or do I need to do it for you?" he asked, his expression impassive.

I still wasn't sure just how far he'd carry out his threats, but I wasn't about to let him bully me into staying home, either. "You wouldn't dare. You'll regret it if you try!" I told him defiantly.

He thought for a minute, then said, "Yes, probably I would. But it might be worth it all the same." The gleam in his eyes was definitely wicked now, and I was _almost_ positive that he was just pulling my leg now.

"Mikhail, don't tease me like that. It's… it's _mean_. I've had such a long, tiring day, and with all that's happened tonight…."

He looked abashed as my eyes began to fill with tears again. "I'm sorry, Alice. No more teasing, I promise. Come here, sit down with me and have one more cup of tea to warm you before we go."

Mollified, I sat back down on the sofa and took the proffered cup of tea. It had cooled quite a bit, so I gulped it down quickly before it could cool any more. I pulled on my lined winter boots and my warmest coat, then turned to Mikhail, who was shrugging his coat back on, and said, "Okay, let's go." We stepped out, then I had a thought and told him to wait there a second while I dashed back in. I grabbed a volume of Shakespeare's sonnets from my shelf, then I saw the volume of Bashō still on the table and grabbed it as well. I dashed back out, handed the book of haiku to Mikhail, and we left.

It was just past one, so it was quite dark outside. Now that the revelers all had returned to their homes, it was peaceful as well. As we walked, Mikhail reached down and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. He didn't let go until we reached the clinic door. "Alice," he said at the door, "I'm truly sorry for all I put you through tonight. Please forgive me."

I just smiled and nodded, not wanting to risk waking anyone by talking. Then after a moment's hesitation, I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him goodnight. He put his arms around me as he returned my kiss, and I could feel the tension in his arms relaxing. _"He really was upset tonight, after all," _I thought._ "Maybe that's what made him tease me like that."_ Then I pulled away and went inside.

I tiptoed into Kana's room, and found Hiro slumped down in his chair, dozing lightly. He stirred when I stepped in, then stood up and stretched, stifling a yawn. I silently shooed him out the door, then I removed my bulky coat and hung it on the hook by the door, settled down in the chair, turned the small reading lamp to focus it on my book, and sat and read sonnets.

I'd always loved Shakespeare. The language had evolved so much since his time, that the meaning of the language he used was no longer quite the same. So reading his poetry was almost like trying to decipher something written in a secret code that had two meanings: the modern meaning, and the original, intended meaning in the language of his time. I'd read enough to have a general grasp on some of the more common differences between middle English and modern, but I still found that every time I read his works, I discovered some new nuance or hidden meaning that had previously eluded me. So his works were continually delighting and surprising me. I turned first to my favorite sonnet, Sonnet CXXX, and read the familiar lines, beginning "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun." Many of my schoolmates, especially the girls, had hated this poem, perceiving it to be cruelly insulting and mocking to the woman he was supposed to love. But I saw it differently—it seemed to me that rather than insulting her, he was saying "This is how the woman I love _really_ is—and I love her just exactly as she is, faults and all." I read it over a few times, wondering what it would be like to be loved so completely and unconditionally, not placed on a pedestal or with someone trying to make you squeeze into the narrow spaces of their preconceived notions of the ideal partner, but just for your own self, the bad along with the good.

I read the last couplet, "And yet by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare" softly out loud, hardly even realizing I had done so until Kana stirred. Startled, I nearly dropped the volume. His eyes opened, but he looked dazed. He looked around in confusion, and started to rise, then saw me and lay back down, staring at me. "Kana?" I said softly, gently stroking his hair. "Hey. How do you feel?"

He tried to focus on me, then gave up and closed his eyes again. "Alice? What… where am I? What's going on?"

"You're in the clinic, Kana. You… you got into a fight with Mikhail and broke your arm. Do you remember?"

A long pause, then Kana said slowly, "Oh… yeah. Kinda. I feel… strange. Really out of it."

"Dr. Ayame gave you something for the pain. It also made you really sleepy." He again struggled to get up, groaning as he moved his injured arm and falling back against the pillows again. "Shhh," I said, "Just take it easy and rest. Does it hurt very much? Should I get the doctor to give you more medicine?"

I started to stand, to go get Hiro or the doctor, but Kana held up his good arm and said drowsily, "Wait. No, don't go. I don't need anything. Just… Please just stay." I sat back down, and he sighed.

After a few minutes, I thought he'd gone back to sleep, so I reached for my book again. But then he opened his eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Alice."

Startled by his words, I said, "Sorry? What for? You haven't done anything to apologize for, Kana."

He slowly shook his head, saying, "No, not true. I… I shouldn't have tried to pick a fight with Mikhail. I… I know it's not working out between us. I know…." He closed his eyes, and a single tear brimmed out of the corner of his eye and trickled slowly down his cheek.

Feeling distressed, I said, "No, Kana, don't. Shhh, just get some sleep. Don't get yourself all worked up." I knelt next to his bed and reached a hand out to feel his forehead, which thankfully was not hot—just a little warm. I stroked his hair, trying to soothe him.

He reached up with his good hand and grasped my hand. Then looked at me with such sadness in his eyes, I nearly cried. "I love you, Alice, but you don't love me. It's okay. I know for sure now. You just don't, and it can't be helped. Just… just promise me one thing…." His voice trailed off as his eyes slowly closed again.

"What's that Kana? I'll do whatever I can…." I said, my stomach knotting with concern—he was acting so strangely, so unlike his normal self. Was it an effect of the medication?

Kana gripped my hand tightly, and said, "Promise me you'll be happy. Don't try to love someone just because he wants you to. Just… just be yourself, always just be yourself…. If that's not good enough, he's the wrong man for you." And with that, he drifted back into sleep, his grip loosening and his hand slipping down onto his pillow.

Astonished by his request, I knelt next to his bed, gently stroking his hair until he finally fell deeply asleep.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	23. Chapter 22

**AN:** I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Things are starting to get interesting with Cam & Mikhail (imho, anyway). Thanks for reading; reviews are always appreciated!

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><p>I stayed with Kana until Dr. Ayame came down early in the morning. She brought me a cup of strong, hot coffee, saying, "Hiro told me about your insistence on standing guard last night. How's the patient? Has he woken up at all?"<p>

I gratefully accepted the steaming cup and took a sip, suddenly feeling very tired, and replied, "Just once. He was confused at first, but seemed to clear up a little once I reminded him where he was. He recognized me right away, he just didn't know where he was or remember what had happened at first."

Dr. Ayame smiled, saying, "I think he'd recognize you even if he had total amnesia, Alice."

I blushed a little and continued, "He didn't want any more medication at that time. He… he was talking kind of strangely, though. Was it because of the painkillers you gave him?"

"Could be," she replied. "What'd he say?" So I related the conversation to her, and she looked at me thoughtfully, saying slowly, "It sounds to me like he was quite lucid. Perhaps just a little more blunt than usual, even for him. But I think he was simply speaking from his heart, Alice. And it's quite good advice."

She looked down at Kana thoughtfully, then turned to me and said, "Well, you must be about done in. And you've got farm chores. I'll have to see about finding someone to tend to his animals. He's not going to be able to do that for a while!"

"Oh, I'll do that, Dr. Ayame." She started to protest, but I cut her off, saying, "No, really—he's such a dear friend to me, and it's the least I can do. Besides, I'm the only one in town who's familiar enough with his horses and his routine to care for them for him. So when he wakes up, tell him I'm taking care of his animals. I'll even put a sign up that his business is closed for a few days, though I don't think that's necessary. Okay?"

After a minute's hesitation, Dr. Ayame nodded consent. "Yes, okay. You're right, you're the one best suited. But—as soon as you've taken care of your farm and his animals, I want you in bed and fast asleep! You look like you're worn to a thread!"

I nodded, saying, "I'd planned to pay some New Year's calls today, but I'll just do that another time. I think people will understand. I might talk to Georgia when I go to Bluebell next, though, and see if she'd be willing to come and stay here to take care of things for Kana while he's out of commission. She's even better suited than I am, since she's as horse-crazy as he is!"

"Good idea," Dr. Ayame commented. "Now get going—I want you in bed as soon as possible!"

I drained my mug and stood up, then I knelt next to Kana and as softly as I possibly could, I kissed the top of his head. He seemed to relax a little more in his sleep at that, so I said goodbye to Dr. Ayame and hurried off.

I stopped at Kana's first, as it was on my way. I tended his horses and left them to graze in the warm spring sun—for spring had arrived overnight. Then I fed the cats and dogs in his shop, and I found a piece of paper to make into a sign, which I taped over the signboard outside his shop door as I left. _"I should be planting my spring crops today," _I thought to myself as I slowly walked down my long driveway, _"but I'm just too exhausted. It'll have to wait until tomorrow."_ I looked regretfully at my empty fields, then tiredly tended to my animals before finally stumbling into my house. I shed my clothes, too tired to even pick them up from where they'd fallen on the floor, too tired even to put on pajamas. I just crawled into bed in my bra and underwear and was asleep within seconds.

I awoke to the sound of soft knocking on my door, followed by the sound of my door opening and closing quietly. I sat up, dazed and confused, and looked around. The room was softly lit by richly golden sunlight; it looked like it was late afternoon. I blinked, trying to focus, then I realized two things: first, that I wasn't alone, and second, that I was wearing nothing by my undergarments. I squealed and hauled my blanket up to my neck, as I realized that Cam was standing there in my house, looking flustered. "C-C-Cam?" I stammered, scarlet with embarrassment. "Wha… ?"

"I'm so sorry," he interrupted. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I tried to be as quiet as I could. We all heard from Dirk about what happened with Kana. He said you were up all night sitting with him and that you were taking care of his animals and everything. Laney thought you'd be too exhausted to cook, so she fixed up a basket of food and asked me to bring it to you. Georgia loaned me a horse and rode over with me; she's going to take care of his animals tonight, and go visit him at the clinic." He set a basket on the table, then turned his back to me, still embarrassed. "So… ahh… I guess I'll be going. I'm sorry for startling you."

He started to head towards the door, but I called out, "Wait, Cam! Please don't go. I'd like you to stay. Just, uhh… just close your eyes for a second while I get my robe." He seemed to tense slightly, but he nodded and kept his back to me while I hastened to slip my kimono over my shoulders, tying the sash into a quick knot. "Okay, I'm… well, covered at least. Let me start the kettle, and then I'll go get dressed." He turned around, blushing again at the sight of me in my robe, and sat down on the sofa. I filled the kettle and set it to boil, then picked out some clothes and hurried to the bathroom to change. It felt hot in the house, so I guessed it had turned into quite a warm, sunny day. I felt another pang of regret that I hadn't been able to plant anything today. Maybe if I worked late… but then I remembered I hadn't yet bought seeds from Gombe. I gave up with a regretful sigh and dressed, changing into clean underthings and pulling on a pair of shorts and a lightweight cotton sleeveless blouse that I tied at the waist. Tying my hair back into a ponytail, I hung up my robe and went out.

The kettle had just reached a boil, so I started the tea brewing. Suddenly realizing that I hadn't eaten anything but a couple of cookies since breakfast the day before and that I was ravenous, I grabbed Laney's basket and started pulling things out, exclaiming in delight as I unearthed sandwiches, salads, fruit, cheese, cookies, cake, and even a bottle of chilled wine. My eyes filled with tears of gratitude at her consideration, and I turned to Cam, saying, "I can't believe how much stuff Laney packed! This is so kind of her; I don't know how to thank her! Or you, for bringing it all this way. You have no idea how tired I am—or how hungry!"

Cam rose and joined me, saying "I'm glad you're pleased. We were both delighted to do something for you. You're always so kind, looking after others and never asking for anything in return. You never ask for help—I've never once heard of you posting a request on the message board for yourself—so this is a rare chance for others to do things for you for a change."

He put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me closer, hugging me to him, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I put my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, feeling blissfully happy. _"It's _so_ nice to feel appreciated,"_ I thought.

I was happy just standing there in Cam's embrace, but after a minute, my stomach growled—loudly—reminding me that I needed to eat. I jumped, startled, and turned bright red. Cam laughed and pushed me towards the table, then waited on me—bringing me tea and a heaping plate of food. I insisted that he sit down and join me, so he did, though he didn't eat much. Or at least not as much as I did, but then I was ravenous. I really tried hard not to wolf my food, but I didn't quite succeed—I just wolfed a little more slowly.

After a while, I was too full to eat another bite, and I pushed my plate away with a contented sigh. Cam raised an eyebrow as he twirled a forkful of salad, swishing it through the last dregs of dressing on his plate. "Full already?" he asked teasingly.

"Please, Cam, don't make fun of me!" I protested. "I was really hungry—the last time I ate _anything_ was the cookies I had with you yesterday!"

Cam's other eyebrow shot up in surprise as he exclaimed, "You haven't eaten in over a day? And after doing all that housework, and horseback riding, and all that stuff that happened last night, and then doing your chores _plus_ Kana's? Good grief, Alice! You've got to take better care of yourself than that! And honestly, I wasn't picking on you. I was surprised that you ate so little. But now I'm even more surprised, and to be honest, a little worried. Please, Alice, take better care of yourself. Your health is important." I nodded, feeling somewhat abashed after his mild lecture. Seeing my chastened expression, he reached for my hand and squeezed it. "I just want to know that you're okay. I don't want to have to be constantly worrying that you're off fainting in the woods somewhere from lack of food!"

He stood up and started to carry dishes to the kitchen, putting leftovers into my old-fashioned ice box and washing the dirty dishes up. He chased me off when I tried to interpose, telling me that I still looked exhausted. "Don't worry, I promise not to break anything! Now go sit down and rest!" he said, twisting the dishtowel into a rat tail and menacing me with it when I was slow to obey. I yelped and darted out of the kitchen, quickly sitting down on the sofa. I didn't really mind him cleaning up—I was grateful, in fact, as I really was very tired. But I didn't like to be told what to do, nor did I like to let people do things for me. I never had—I'd always preferred to do things myself than to ask for help.

A few minutes later, unable to bear just sitting and doing nothing, I jumped up and grabbed my mending basket and started to work on some mending I had to do. I had quite a lot to do, and I was falling behind. Not only did I have my own clothing to mend, I'd also taken in some of the mending for several villagers, most of whom were bachelors who lacked skill with a needle and thread. I had a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts for Kana, a jacket for Mikhail, a work apron for Sheng, two pairs of pants and three shirts for Dirk, a few bandanas for Mako, and a blouse for Reina.

When Cam joined me, bringing the wine from the basket out with him along with a couple of glasses, he found me half-buried in a pile of clothes, needle flying as I whittled down my pile of repairs. I set aside the pair of pants I was working on to take the glass he offered, and I noticed him looking oddly at the assortment of clothing that surrounded me. I laughed as I put everything away in the work basket to make room for him to sit, and I explained, showing him some of the repairs I had made so far as I set the articles of clothing aside in my large basket. He seemed impressed by how neatly and quickly I effected my repairs, but he also looked exasperated, saying only, "I thought I told you to rest!" as he laughed at my inability to simply sit and do nothing.

He sat down next to me on the small sofa, picking up his glass and leaning back. I snuggled up to him, tucking my feet up under me and leaning my head against his chest. He transferred his glass to his other hand and put his arm around my shoulders, gently stroking my arm. We sat like that for a while, enjoying the peaceful evening and each other's company as we sipped our wine.

After a time, I looked up at him, and caught a wistful, far-away expression on his face. "Penny for your thoughts?" I said softly.

He started and looked down at me, turning a little red. "Oh, ahhh… n-nothing. It was… nothing," he stammered.

"Oh, c'mon. 'Fess up!" I said—now it was my turn to tease him. "Tell me, what was it you were thinking about? You looked like you were a million miles away!"

He looked down at me, then set his glass down and stroked my cheek gently. "I… I was just thinking how nice it would be if… if we could be like this all the time. You know, what it would be like if… if we were married, and I could spend every evening with you this way." He turned scarlet and looked away with a sigh.

I stared at him for a minute, feeling my own face flushing, then nestled my cheek against his chest again, saying "Yeah… I think that sounds nice, too…."

He quickly looked at me, then he lifted my chin up and looked into my eyes. "Alice…." he murmured softly. He took the glass from my hand and set it on the table, then he leaned down and kissed me, pulling me closer. After a minute, he pulled away, then he scooped me up in his arms and pulled me onto his lap.

I put my arms around his neck and again we kissed. I tasted the wine on his breath and breathed the scents of the outdoors and scents from the café, fresh baked bread and spices—as well as the ubiquitous scents of flowers and herbs clinging to him. "_Being kissed by him is like being caressed by a warm, gentle, spring breeze in a flower garden," _I thought as I melted into his embrace. He held me lightly as we kissed, one arm wrapped around me, supporting my shoulders, while his other hand gently stroked my leg.

I don't know how long we sat like that, just kissing, but after some time, we were startled by a knock on the door. Georgia immediately stepped in, then stopped, turning red with embarrassment, when she saw us snuggled together on the sofa. Her hand flew to her mouth as she said, "Oh! I'm so sorry! I was… I was just stopping by to see if Cam was ready to head back! I'll… umm, I'll just go… " she stammered, obviously trying to think where she could go and wait discreetly.

Cam and I looked at each other, and I smiled. I rose and called her back as she started to shrink back out the door, and I called, "No, please come on in, Georgia. I wanted to talk to you."

She returned, looking curious but still a little embarrassed. I took her hands and said, "Georgia, I wondered… this might be a little presumptuous of me, but…. You know Kana's going to need help for a while, probably a few weeks, until his arm has healed enough for him to handle the animals on his own, right? And he'll need help with his shop—if it stays closed until he's mended, well, that'll be really hard on him, losing his income all that time. So…."

I hesitated, then Georgia's face brightened, and she said, "Oh! I could come and help out! His shop is just like Daddy's, and I looove horses! If I take it real easy, I can ride Dakota over, then she can visit with Hayate while I'm here. Do you know if there is an extra guest room in the town hall? Mikhail is staying there, right?"

"Oh, Georgia!" I exclaimed. "That is just exactly what I was going to ask you. I'm so glad you suggested it yourself! So what do you think? I don't know how long he'll need help, but I'd think at _least_ a couple of weeks, probably longer. Can your dad spare you that long?"

"Oh, sure—he can get Ash to help out a little, and between you and me and the fencepost, Daddy could use the extra exercise! Oh, this is great! I'm going to ride back to town right this minute to talk to Daddy about it. Oh, I should talk to Ina first to be sure about a room, and then… " She trailed off, happily murmuring to herself a list of things she needed to do or pack as she hurried out the door, not even thinking to close it behind her in her distraction.

I gently closed it, then returned to Cam, saying, "Now… where were we?" as I settled back onto his lap and put my arms back around his neck.

This time we had barely even resumed our kiss when another knock came to the door. I sighed and leaned my head against Cam's chest, murmuring, "I swear, Cam, I don't get this many visitors often!" He smiled, though he looked wistful as he kissed the tip of my nose. Before I could move, though, the door opened, and Mikhail stepped in. He froze when he saw the two of us together, just stood staring at us. Then without a word, he swiftly turned and left, closing the door firmly behind him.

I looked in alarm at Cam, getting up and saying, "Cam, I'd better go talk to him. Can you wait here?"

He grabbed my arm as I turned to run to the door, and pulled me back. His eyes searched mine as he asked, "And what are you going to tell him? Have you decided one way or the other? Or are you just going to remind him that you're still thinking it over and haven't decided?" I gasped, stung by his words, sensitive as I was to the subject.

His eyes softened as he pulled me down on the sofa next to him, saying, "I'm sorry. I know you're not doing it on purpose, and I honestly don't begrudge you the time you need to make up your mind. Still, it _is_ hard, not just the waiting and the uncertainty—that I can bear. It's… it's seeing you with someone else that gets to me. It makes me seethe inside, and I find myself wanting to do things that I would never have thought myself even capable of before. And Mikhail is more temperamental than I am—I'm sure it must affect him, too. Do you see?"

I slowly nodded, then said, "But Cam, even if I can't tell him anything new or helpful, I can't just let him go, either. Don't you see that? Imagine if it was you, and you walked in to see me with him the way he found us. You'd be furious and hurt, but how much _more_ hurt would you be if I didn't come after you and try to talk to you? You _know_ it would be worse for me to just let you go away than to come after you. At least then you'd know that I cared."

Reluctantly, Cam nodded and let my arm go. "But," he called after me as I rushed to the door, "I'll be waiting right here for you!" I flashed a grateful smile at him as I hastily slipped my sandals on. Then I ran out the door and into the lengthening shadows of the evening.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	24. Chapter 23

**AN:** Just a warning that there is smidgen of death in this chapter—no major characters, though. Hope you enjoy! And reviews are always welcome! :)

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><p>I had no idea where Mikhail might have gone, though the town hall or the mountain seemed the most likely places. I took a chance on the hall, thinking that even if he wanted to wander through the dark of the mountain, he might want to take his violin with him—and he hadn't had it on him when he was at my house.<p>

I ran to the town hall, up the stairs and to his room. There was no answer to my knock, and when I opened the door, it was dark and still inside. I turned on a light and looked around, but there was no sign of him or of his violin case.

Choking back a sob of frustration, I switched the light off again and closed the door, then again took off at a run. I raced up the road out of town and stopped a little ways outside the gates. I stopped and just listened, hoping to hear the sound of his violin to guide me. Hearing nothing, I continued up the path, walking quickly but as silently as possible in the increasing darkness. I stopped every few steps for another listen, but still nothing. It wasn't until I reached the bridge by the waterfall that I thought I caught a faint sound of music, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from—the waterfall masked the sound too well. I felt tears on my cheeks as the gentle breeze chilled them, and I strained to hear. Then I just stood there, closed my eyes, and thought….

After a moment, I had a flash of inspiration, and I ran up the path, then turned up a side path, oblivious to branches and brambles catching at my skin and clothes as I stumbled through the dark woods on the hillside. There was a secluded glade at the crest of the hill, hidden from the path by a thick stand of trees. It was the ideal place for someone to hide away from sight. Sure enough, as I scrambled up the hill, the sound of violin music grew louder and clearer. Finally I reached the edge of the clearing, and I paused to catch my breath as I looked around.

Standing near the far side of the clearing with his back to me was Mikhail, cloaked in shadows as he played the violin fiercely, venting his emotions in wild, improvised music. His focus was such that he didn't even hear me approach. Unwilling to shock him from his cathartic reverie, I sank to the ground and watched, waiting for him to notice me or to come back down to earth.

After several minutes, he ceased, lowering his violin. He dropped to his knees, his head hanging down. I thought I caught the sound of a stifled sob and scrambled to my feet in distress at the sound. He jumped up and whirled around. I couldn't see his face—the moon was too near new to provide more than a faint glimmer of light—but I could imagine the fury that would be directed toward an unknown interloper, especially catching him at such a time. "Mikhail?" I called to him. He didn't answer, but I could see from his silhouette that he relaxed his defensive stance as he recognized my voice. He knelt down, and I heard the sound of his violin case clicking closed.

The dark figure straightened up, then slowly walked towards me. I shivered, partly from the cool evening breeze and partly from uncertainty, not knowing his mood. He stopped before me, reached out a hand to stroke my hair, then he swiftly wound my hair around his hand and pulled me up to him, hard, making me gasp in shock. He held me tightly against him, kissing me intensely, almost ferally. He pulled back, then started to kiss my neck, whispering in a low, throaty whisper, "I want you to kiss me like you kissed _him_. To look at me like you did _him_." He continued kissing my neck, even biting my skin as his caresses grew more frenetic. Then suddenly he stopped, released his hold on my hair, held my face in his hands, and said, "I want you to love me _more_ than you love _him_." Then he sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands as a low moan escaped him.

I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I could think of—I tried to soothe and comfort him. I knelt next to him, wrapped my arms around him, and held him close, murmuring soft words of reassurance. Eventually he seemed to grow quieter, as if some of his inner turmoil had dissipated. I pulled him to his feet, and he rose, but although he didn't resist me, neither did he do anything of his own volition. So I slowly walked back to where he'd been playing, looking for his violin case and trying to avoid stepping on it in the dark. I found it, picked it up, and returned to him.

"Come on, Mikhail," I said, "let's get you back home." I took a step and looked back; he simply stood there as if in a trance. So I took his hand, and gently led him back down to the path and into town. I walked him to his room, and removed his coat and hung it up. I even sat him on the edge of his bed and removed his shoes, but I balked at undressing him further. I put his violin case in its customary location, then I kissed him and wished him good night. And then I left, closing the door softly behind me. I hurried over to the clinic and found Dr. Ayame, and told her of Mikhail's strange behavior and of my concerns. She promised to go check on him as soon as she could, and I returned home, still worried but relieved that he'd soon be under the doctor's care.

By this time, it was quite late. I wasn't sure if Cam would really have waited all that time for me, but when I walked in, there he was—curled up on the sofa that was far too short for someone of his height, sleeping soundly. He looked terribly uncomfortable, but he was clearly worn out. So I gently woke him just enough to lead him to my bed. I got him into bed and under the covers, clothes and all. Then I grabbed some extra blankets and pillows from the chest, changed into a nightgown, and curled up on the sofa.

Despite my exhaustion, it took me a while to get to sleep. I kept replaying the events of the past 24 hours or so—Mikhail and Kana, Mikhail, Cam, Cam and Mikhail, and finally Mikhail again. I was so miserable that night. I didn't know what was wrong with me. It wasn't that I didn't love either of them—the problem, I realized, was that I loved them both. How could I choose one over the other? When I was with Cam, I all but forgot Mikhail—forgot there was anything in the world but just us two—and I was blissfully happy. But then… it was the same with Mikhail, and when I was with him, I forgot all the rest of the world. I didn't know what to do, but I knew that not only was I unhappy, I was making the two people I loved most in all the world unhappy, too. And I knew I had to do _something_. I just didn't know _what_….

I awoke early in the morning—earlier than usual—to the gentle pattering of rain on the roof. Cam was still soundly asleep, though his dreams appeared troubled. Soon he seemed to be struggling in a nightmare, and I quickly shook him awake. He sat up, startled and confused. He saw where he was, saw me sitting on the bed next to him in my chemise, looking anxious, and then very quickly looked down, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw he was still fully dressed. My lips twitched in an effort to keep from laughing at his concern, and I apologized for waking him, explaining that he'd seemed to be having a bad dream.

He shivered and nodded, then got out of bed and stretched. He sat back down next to me and put his arm around me, asking, "How are you? I'm sorry I couldn't stay awake until you returned. What happened with Mikhail?"

I frowned, thinking back over the previous night's events, then told him everything that happened, ending with, "So I stopped by the clinic as I came home, and Dr. Ayame said she'd look in on him. I haven't heard anything since."

Cam whistled a low whistle, and said, "Wow, that's… I don't know what to make of that. He sounds like he's cracking. You definitely should check on him. Are you going to go see Kana? He's probably missing you, too." Cam said, looking concerned.

I felt a surge of warm affection for this kind, compassionate man, as he worried about his rivals' well-being. I leaned my head on his shoulder, then glanced at my clock and noticed the time. I jumped up with a yelp, and said, "Look at the time! I've got to get you back to Bluebell so you can open your shop!" Cam rose, too, but seemed much less concerned than I was about being on time. I dashed around, fixing him a quick breakfast. I gripped a piece of toast with my teeth as I pulled my boots on, then grabbed my mug of tea, somehow avoiding sloshing it, and darted out to fetch Cam's horse from Kana's barn and saddle both our horses.

When I came back leading the sturdy, gentle buckskin, Cam was just coming out the front door. Because we were hurrying and I was far more experienced, I saddled his horse for him. I helped him mount, then leaped into my saddle. Before we left, Cam looked at me and said, "You know, I could ride back by myself. I'm not very experienced, but still—I can take care of myself." I moved in close to him, scowling, and said, "No, Cam. Your inexperience is _exactly_ why I need to come with you. I'm proud of you for learning, and you're coming along quickly. But you're too inexperienced still to ride solo in such rough terrain as the mountain trails, especially in bad weather. I have years of experience with horses, yet I still had an accident when I arrived here—and it could have been far more serious, even fatal. So please be sensible, and let's get going."

With that, I urged Nubium forward, and looking chagrined, Cam fell in alongside me. We hurried out the gates and up the path, and I set as fast a pace as I felt was safe for the conditions. We dashed up to path to the peak, then back down the far side more slowly. Even so, Nubium hit a patch of slippery mud and loose rocks and we slipped and skidded a short ways down the trail before she hit more stable ground. Cam had fallen in behind me due to the narrowness of the trail, and I was relieved to see that he'd had the sense to stay put rather than try to follow. I dismounted, checked my mare's legs and hooves, and pried out a large pebble that I noticed had become lodged in one of her hooves. When I was done, I stroked her face and soothed her, then left her there to climb back up to Cam. "It'll be safer if you dismount," I told him, then I carefully led his gelding down the side of the path to avoid the worst of the muddy patch. I helped him mount again once we were clear, then I mounted Nubium and continued along to Bluebell. We arrived in town with only twenty minutes to spare before his shop was due to open—a very tight squeeze, as he needed to change clothes and set his stall up. So I returned the buckskin to Grady's and left Nubium there as well, giving her a quick rubdown before I hurried back to help Cam set up his shop for the day.

As we brought buckets of flowers out and set them around his stall, Cam paused and looked at me, then said, "You know, I… I was kind of put out when you scolded me this morning about my suggestion that I ride alone and spare you the trip. It wasn't at all what I expected." I scowled in annoyance and opened my mouth to speak, but he held up his hand, silencing me for the moment. He continued, "But now, after the ride this morning, I understand what you mean. If I'd been alone, I'd have hit that slick patch of mud and rocks, probably too fast, and who knows what would have happened."

I grimaced, and said, "_I_ know—your horse likely would have fallen down, most likely either landing on you or else throwing you in the process. Either way, it probably wouldn't have been fun for either of you."

He flushed a little at my dour predictions, but he just nodded and continued. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is… thanks. Thanks for watching out for me and keeping me from doing something foolish."

I fussed with some of the flowers in his display for a minute, lost in memories. Then I turned to him, and in a shaky voice, I said, "Have you ever heard a horse scream?" He looked taken aback at my question, and stammered out a no. I shuddered violently as I said, "It's the most chilling, heart-rending, piteous sound ever." I sighed and covered my eyes with my hand, wishing I could wipe away the memory….

"I've always loved horses," I began, taking a deep breath, "ever since I was tiny. Not as much as Georgia and Kana, but still. I learned to ride a pony when I was four, and by the age of ten, I was more skilled than most adults I knew. My best friend at that time, Ruby, was a charming girl two years older than me: wealthy, beautiful, smart, and a bit of a dare-devil and showoff. It was near the end of our summer break from school—she'd just been given her first 'grown-up' horse for her twelfth birthday, a beautiful chestnut Arabian gelding with two perfect white socks and a little white snip on his forehead. He was just gorgeous, and his name was Beau."

I paused, shifting uncomfortably as the memories came back, biting my lip in concentration. "We'd gone for a ride on the mountains nearby. The mountains there are different from this one—rougher, for one, with few trails and lots of tricky spots even when on foot. But that was home for us, and we never thought twice about it. A week after she got Beau, we went for a ride in the mountains. She talked almost nonstop about what a great horse he was, how surefooted and fast and so on. Before long, she felt the need to prove it, for some reason, and challenged me to a race. We'd just about reached the top of a hill—the far side was rough, and it was covered in loose soil and rocks and other debris with larger rocks scattered here and there. As much as I admired her and looked up to her, I had too much sense to go barreling down a slope like that. But try though I might, I couldn't dissuade her. She finally gave up on me, gave me a disgusted look and called me a lily-livered chicken, then took off shrieking and laughing and urging Beau on faster and faster as they crested the hill and started down the far side."

I paused again, feeling sick as I remembered that day. I shivered, and Cam, mesmerized by my narrative, came up to me and put his arms around me as I breathed deeply to dispel the nausea. I looked into the distance, my eyes unfocused as I remembered back. "You can probably guess what happened. Beau hit a slippery section of the slope and skidded and slid, out of control in the avalanche of rocks and debris that ensued. Ruby, who had always bragged about her marvelous skill with horses, wasn't nearly as skilled as she insisted. Beau… "

I swallowed hard, and continued, "Beau hit a boulder at high speed. He flipped over, landing on his back and leg… with Ruby pinned underneath him. He screamed terribly…. I couldn't do anything by myself—I was just too small. So I sped off as fast as I could on my pony to get help. Luckily I found some hunters nearby who were already heading our way, having heard Beau's screams, and they rushed to the rescue."

I realized that tears were trickling down my cheeks when Cam wiped them away, looking more distressed than I'd ever seen him. After taking another pause to compose myself, I went on, "Beau was still screaming when we reached them, though his screams were getting faint. There was nothing they could do for him—his back was broken. They shot him, to put him out of his pain." I buried my face into his chest and stifled a sob as Cam gently stroked my hair.

After a moment, Cam asked softly, "And your friend? What happened with her afterwards?"

I hunched my shoulders, gripping his shirt tightly, gasping out between sobs, "Her neck was broken. She died, Cam." Then he held me tightly as I wept into his shirt.

Laney heard my sobbing, apparently, and ran out, looking concerned. She looked reproachfully at Cam, saying, "What on earth did you say to her? The poor thing's hysterical!"

Taken aback, Cam protested, "I didn't do anything! It wasn't me, I swear!"

Ignoring him, Laney led me into the café and up the stairs to her room, murmuring soothingly as we walked. As soon as I regained enough control to talk again, I came to Cam's defense, explaining that I'd been telling him about something terrible that had happened in my childhood, that he'd only been listening and trying to comfort me, and that he really didn't do or say anything to upset me. I apologized for the fuss, saying it was probably due to exhaustion and from being upset by the events of the past couple of days. Then Laney wanted to know all about it, and before I knew it, we'd settled in for a long, gossipy heart-to-heart.

Once I'd filled her in on everything starting from when Cam showed up on New Year's Eve clear up to my cautionary tale in Cam's shop, she gave me a squeeze, saying, "You poor dear! No wonder you're frazzled to bits! You need a break from those crazy boys. I tell you what, let's have a girls' camping trip! Just one night up in the mountains, girls only. No boys allowed! We can invite Georgia—I know she'd love it. I don't know the girls in Konohana very well… would any of them enjoy something like that?"

I shook my head, saying, "No, I don't think so. There's only Nori and Reina. Nori hates camping—she's told me so before. She says she dislikes most bugs and snakes and frogs and things, and she hates to be uncomfortable. Besides, she wouldn't want to leave her grandpa alone. And Reina just doesn't care much to do things with other people—she prefers plants to people, and frequently says so. I'll ask them, of course, but I don't expect either to accept. But… I'd like to invite Eileen, if you don't mind? She's close to our age, and she looks so wistful when she sees you and Georgia doing things together."

"Of course! I'd love to invite her along. I don't know why I never thought of it before. Now… when shall we go? We'll need some time to prepare…. How about a week from Monday? Maybe up by the spring near the mountain peak? I think that would be a lovely place to camp!" I agreed, and we parted ways, eager to set our plan in motion.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	25. Chapter 24

**AN:** This is the last day I'll be posting 2 chapters per day. Starting tomorrow, I'll only be posting 1 chapter a day, at least for the time being. I need some time to catch up on my writing, as things have been busy lately for me and I'm falling a little behind. Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story!

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><p>I stopped by Cam's stall after my talk with Laney, feeling a little self-conscious after my outburst. He was busy with a customer, so I just idly glanced through his displays of flowers as I waited. I decided to buy some for Kana, and for Mikhail, too. Then I decided to include Cam, just because he was so kind and patient and because he'd mentioned loving to receive flowers once.<p>

After his customer bustled off, he turned to me with a smile, saying, "May I help you, miss?" I grinned, and said, "Yes, sir, I'd like three rose bouquets, please, and some pink rose and carnations seeds, too." "Three?" Cam asked, dropping his play-acting in surprise. "Yes, please, Cam. And… I'd like to apologize for earlier. Some of your comments reminded me so much of… of Ruby, and it all came flooding back. That's why I was kind of hard on you. Not because I think you're a reckless idiot or anything, but because I'd already lost one friend that way. I… I couldn't bear it if something like that happened to you," I said, looking away in embarrassment.

Cam came around from behind his counter and lifted my chin up. He looked into my eyes, saying, "I promise I won't do anything reckless. I won't go riding alone on the mountain until you or Georgia give me leave. Okay?" I nodded, feeling relieved. He kissed my forehead and returned to his counter, then deftly made up three beautiful bunches of early spring roses. I paid him, and he handed them and the seeds to me.

I admired the sweetly-scented bouquets, then picked out one and handed it back. He took it, looking puzzled, and asked, "Is there something wrong with this one?"

I grinned at him and said, "No, it's perfect. That's why I'm giving it to you." His face flushed with pleasure, and I waved as I ran off to quickly make my rounds before hurrying home to do my chores.

After I finished tending to my farm, I put the remaining bouquets into vases and filled them with water, then placed those into a small box to make it easier to carry them. Hurrying into town, I first stopped at Gombe's seed shop, needing to buy seeds for my delayed spring planting. He only had a small selection, so I purchased cucumber and potato seeds to start and hurried off.

Next I stopped at the clinic. I stopped in to say hi to Kana, but finding Georgia sitting there reading to him as he dozed, I just set the flowers on the table by his bed and waved, not wanting to interrupt her reading or his nap. Afterwards, I found Dr. Ayame and asked about Kana's progress, which she reported as very favorable. "That man heals amazingly fast. I think he'll be able to go home in a day or two, though he'll still need plenty of help. Hiro will go over once a day to help him with more personal matters—bathing and so on—but I'm hoping Georgia's father can spare her a while longer to help with the horses and critters there. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if he was fully mended in a month, two at the most." I gasped at how soon she suggested he'd be healed—he must have some amazing healing powers indeed, if he'd be mended from such a severe break by then.

Then I asked about Mikhail, and Dr. Ayame scowled. "I don't know what to say about that one. He seems to have lost all interest in anything. You'll probably find him in bed, where I left him—I doubt he's even changed out of his clothes. He doesn't answer when I talk to him. He doesn't _do_ anything. If he doesn't perk up soon, he'll just waste away." I blanched, shocked by her warning.

She gave me a hard look and said, "Tell me again what happened yesterday." I went over the events again, then at her request, I gave her the full story of my history with Mikhail, including the various rivalries going on in the two towns. She nodded when I finished, looking thoughtfully at me. "Yes, I see now. For the record, I believe you may be able to add Dirk to your list. He talks about you almost nonstop lately, when he comes by with the mail. Maybe even Hiro, although I think it's more just a crush in his case—I think deep down he's in love with Nori. And Kana appears to be warming to Georgia. So that leaves… ?"

"Well, Cam and Mikhail are the only two that have any chance, really." I sighed, burying my face in my hands.

"Out with it, kiddo," Dr. Ayame said. "What else is eating you?"

"I don't want it to be like this," I replied looking up at her. "But the problem is that I love _both_ Cam and Mikhail. I can't pick one over the other, because I love them both so much. I feel like I'd die if I lost either of them. I don't mean to be selfish or to string them along, I really don't. But…." I looked away with a sad shrug.

"But that's just the way the cookie crumbles, right, kiddo?" Dr. Ayame asked.

I nodded, feeling miserable. "I can't _make_ myself love one more than the other. I just have to wait to see where my heart leads me, I guess. I just wish it would hurry and make up its mind!" She laughed, and patted me on the back.

"Well, cheer up, Alice. Mikhail has a sensitive, temperamental nature, but he's really quite resilient. He just needs to snap out of it. And I think Kana will be just fine," she said, smiling as she listened to Georgia's voice patiently reading. I smiled, too, hoping that my hopeful pairing might actually work out. I wanted Kana to be happy, although I couldn't be the one to make him so.

After a moment, I asked, "Do… do you think I could visit Mikhail? Or shouldn't I?"

"I'd go ahead, kiddo. You might just be able to help him out of his blue funk. Just try your best to cheer him up, and we'll see if that helps." I nodded and left, waving to Hiro as I went out the door.

I went straight to the town hall and back to Mikhail's room. There was no answer to my gentle knock, but the door was unlocked and slightly ajar. I opened it and went on in, bringing the roses with me. I found him in his bed, listlessly lying on his side and staring at nothing. As Dr. Ayame suspected, he was still wearing the same clothes as he'd had on yesterday. A carafe of water on his nightstand appeared untouched, as was the bowl of fruit on his table. I felt my heart ache and my throat constrict as I looked at his forlorn figure.

I walked around so that I was in his field of vision, set the flowers on his nightstand, then turned and knelt next to the bed, looking him in the eyes. Without his glasses on, his eyes were much easier to see clearly. They were such a beautiful pale blue, like the shadows in ice. As my intrusion into his line of sight registered, his eyes gradually focusing until finally he was looking at me with recognition in his eyes. He raised his head a little, saying faintly, "Alice?"

I reached out a hand and stroked his cheek, murmuring, "Yes, Mikhail, I'm here."

He lay his head back down and closed his eyes. "I… I'm sorry for what happened," he whispered. "I behaved abominably to you. And the despicable part is, I wanted to do so much more…."

A tear welled up and trickled down his cheek. I wiped it away, saying, "Shhh, it's okay. Don't worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong. Please, Mikhail, don't be so sad. I can't bear for you to be so unhappy." I felt tears beginning to flow, and willed them away. I was supposed to be cheering him up, not making things worse.

Since Mikhail was nearly in the middle of the bed, there was a fair bit of room alongside him. I sat down next to him, then kicked my shoes off and stretched my legs out next to him, putting his head on my lap and gently stroking his head as I began to sing softly to him. I felt him gradually begin to relax, so I kept on singing—ballad after ballad, then folk songs, love songs, and finally even lullabies.

I felt my throat tightening after nearly an hour of singing, but I didn't want to leave him in search of water, nor did I want to steal his. So I kept on singing, figuring I'd sing until I lost my voice if necessary. Luckily for me, Ina peeked in soon afterwards, and I pantomimed my need for a glass of water. She instantly understood, and left, returning a moment later with another carafe and glass of cold water. She poured me a glass, then stood looking worriedly down at Mikhail. She seemed glad that he was looking more peaceful, so she tiptoed back out. I knew she'd keep any visitors away that tried to interrupt his rest after that, and I sang on.

As he relaxed, Mikhail moved a little to make some more room for me, and I scooted over away from the edge of the wide bed. He laid his head back on my lap, his lower hand tucked under his cheek and resting on my thigh, his upper arm draped across my lap in a loose embrace. He curled up slightly, tucking his knees against my legs through the bedcovers. He sighed, sounding more contented than sorrowful now, and a short while later he was asleep, breathing softly but deeply. Ina peeked in again, and I gestured for her to come closer. I whispered to her my dismay at my predicament—I couldn't get up without disturbing him, and I was loathe to do that. On the other hand, I still had some chores to do at the farm. And I wanted Mikhail to get into something more comfortable. After a moment's thought, Ina waved me to stay put for now, then left.

She returned a little while later with Hiro in tow. She handed me a note, indicating that I should go ahead and go take care of my farm chores; Hiro would sit with Mikhail until he woke, then help him to bathe and change his clothing if possible, or at least try to make him more comfortable if nothing else. I nodded, and slipped out of his embrace as gently as I could, then joined Ina outside.

"He's a wreck, the poor man!" Ina exclaimed, looking back towards his room with a worried look.

"I know… I feel awful," I said, wincing as I teared up again.

Ina looked startled, apparently having forgotten that I was the cause of his breakdown. "Oh! Well, I didn't mean…."

"It's okay, Ina," I interrupted. "I know you didn't. But still…."

We stood in silence, then I looked up and said, "Well, intentionally or not, I'm the cause of his present condition. The least I can do is to help him through this as best I can. I'm going to go home, tend to my chores, clean up, and come back. Maybe I can't do much, but it seemed to help to just sit there singing to him and letting him hold me while he slept. So if I have to, I'll stay there all night."

She looked startled by my proposal, but nodded. "Yes, that might help. Do you want me to look in now and then to see if you need anything? Like more water?"

I breathed a sigh of relief—I admit that the idea of spending the night in his room made me somewhat uncomfortable, but it helped knowing that Ina would be checking in. "Yes, please, if you won't mind. I'd be grateful. Thanks, Ina. I'll be back soon." Then I hurried off to get my work done and get back. I wondered what Cam would say if he knew…. I hoped he'd understand, but even if he didn't, I felt I had to help Mikhail anyway. I'd do the same for him, if needed, so I hoped he'd keep that in mind.

Preparing myself for a long and probably uncomfortable night, I showered and dressed in leggings and a comfortable tank top. I slipped on my flip-flops, grabbed a couple volumes of poetry, packed a bag with a few essentials, and left. I hurried back down the road to the town hall, and softly knocked on the door. A moment later, Hiro opened it, and ushered me in. Mikhail was sitting on the sofa in his room, still listless but at least awake. He appeared to have just bathed; his hair was still quite damp, and he now wore pajamas. He turned and looked at me, and I thought I saw a flicker of… was it happiness? or relief? in his eyes.

I sat next to him, picked up his hand, and started to talk to him in a soft voice. I asked how he was feeling, did he want anything to eat or drink, was he tired? He slowly shook his head, but didn't say anything. Did he want me to sing for him? Read to him? Talk to him? Or to just sit quietly with him?

After a pause, he looked at me, and whispered, "Please sing to me." I asked if he wanted to lie with his head on my lap, as he did earlier, and he nodded. So I pulled him up and walked him to the bed, then sat him down on the edge and pulled his slippers off.

Hiro was still hovering close by, so I asked him to help Mikhail to get into bed, which he did. Then I removed my flip-flops and sat on the bed next to him on top of the blankets, leaning against the headboard with my legs stretched out before me. Hiro thoughtfully brought me a throw blanket from the sofa and another pillow to put behind my back. Then he looked at me questioningly, and I thanked him for helping.

He took the hint and left, saying before he closed the door to send word if he or the doctor was needed. Once we were alone, Mikhail scooted up to me and rested his head on my lap, hugging my legs as before. Then he sighed, and whispered, "Thank you for coming back, Alice. Please sing to me." So once again I began to sing, this time pausing frequently for sips of water. I sang softly to him until again his eyes drooped and closed and he slept, still clinging to me.

Ina peeked in a few times, looking to see if I wanted anything. Then she'd withdraw and return to sleep for a couple more hours before checking in again. After Mikhail dropped off, I read by the light of the bedside lamp until finally I began to nod. I set the book down, switched off the lamp, and fell asleep, still sitting up with Mikhail's arm wrapped around me.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	26. Chapter 25

**AN:** As I said in the previous chapter, starting today I'll be posting only 1 chapter each day instead of 2, to give me time to catch up on my writing. Thanks for reading! :)

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><p>I woke early, the predawn light seeping into my dreams and pulling me out of them. Mikhail had at some point rolled over onto his stomach, and he lay there sleeping, facing away from me but with one arm still flung across my legs. As I stirred, half asleep and confused by my surroundings, Mikhail awoke. His hand twitched slightly, presumably due to the unfamiliar contact. Then he curled around to look at the source of the strange sensation.<p>

His eyes widened when he saw me, then softened as his lips curved into a smile. "Good morning," he said softly. "Am I dreaming?" I shook my head with a smile. He reached up and stroked my cheek softly, then pulled himself up to sit next to me.

"How do you feel?" I asked anxiously.

His brow furrowed for a moment as he thought. "A little confused. I… I remember seeing you… with Cam…." he looked away, a pained expression on his face, then he continued. "Then I remember grabbing my violin and running up the mountain path to a little hidden glade I had discovered on one of my walks. And playing and playing. And then… suddenly you were there. And you were… you were distressed. And I was angry, but also hurt and forlorn. And… " then he turned pale and quickly looked at me in distress. "Then I grabbed you and kissed you, and I hurt you, didn't I?"

"N-not really," I murmured, instinctively pulling my hair around my neck.

He pushed my hands away and lifted my hair, a strangled groan escaping him as he saw the marks along my neck. He flushed and looked away, dropping my hair. He drew his knees up and buried his face against them, stammering a muffled apology.

I reached out a hand to him and gently stroked his head and rubbed his back. "It's okay, Mikhail. You didn't mean to hurt me. It's not so bad—it looks worse than it is. And no one else has seen the marks, if _that's_ any comfort. I've just worn my hair down and pulled my collars up…. So please don't fret about it." I put my arm around him and held him, afraid he'd slip back into his depression at this rate.

After a minute, he lifted his head and rested his chin on his knees, and with a deep sigh, he said, "Anyway, that's about all I remember. I don't know how I got back here—I don't remember returning at all." Then suddenly he rose up in alarm. "My violin! I must have left it up on the hill! How long has it been?" he asked, turning frantically to me as he started to climb out of bed.

I put a hand on his shoulder to stay him, and said, "Relax, your violin is fine," as I pointed to the case sitting where I'd left it, on the shelf where he normally kept it.

He looked at it, then slumped back down into his bed in sheer relief. "Anyway, I don't remember anything after that. What happened after… after I attacked you?"

I reached out and held his hand in mine, and I related the events that happened afterwards to him. He sat and thought about it, then said, "When I… when I saw you and Cam… it felt as though something inside me snapped. I love you so much, Alice," he said, turning and looking at me with eyes pleading for understanding, "and I _do_ want you to be happy—but… I'd greatly prefer that you be happy with _me_. I'm sorry… sorry for being selfish…."

"No, Mikhail," I interrupted, "if anything, I'm the selfish one. I don't mean to be, but I just don't know what to do. I love you so very much," at which his eyes grew hopeful, "but I love Cam just as much." His face fell and he sighed. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "So, you see, I just don't know what to do. I feel as if I'm perfectly happy and would die without you when I'm with you… but then I feel the same way when I'm with Cam. I can hardly marry you both, so I have to find a way to pick one of you… or else neither. And I'm just… I just don't know what to do. And I'm so, so sorry for causing you so much pain, Mikhail. I hope you can forgive me."

He looked at me in surprise, and said, "You want _me_ to forgive _you_? After everything I've done, I'm the one that needs to ask forgiveness, not you."

"Then let's just call it even, okay?" I said with a faint smile and another squeeze to his hand.

He nodded, then he put an arm around me and pulled me close to him. "You know," he said, after a while, "while I was… unwell… I felt as though I was lost in a dense fog. Nothing penetrated it, everything was dim and hazy. But… then I could see _you_. I could hear your voice, and your songs soothed me. And I could feel your touch. You were the only thing I had. And when you weren't there… I had nothing. Just the cold, silent fog." He shivered, and I leaned my head against his shoulder and held his hand as we sat there.

After a little while, Ina again peeked in, then seeing Mikhail awake and sitting up, she stepped in, looking happy and relieved. "Mikhail? How are you feeling? You look much better this morning, I must say," she commented.

Mikhail smiled, and said, "Thank you, yes. I think I am better today. But I'm still feeling very tired, so I will probably spend most of the day resting in bed." She nodded and withdrew, after assuring him she'd do her best to keep visitors at bay, leaving us alone again.

I sighed and swung my legs off the bed as I said, "I'd better get going, too, Mikhail. I have farm chores I have to do. Let me get some breakfast for you, then I'd better take off. I'll come back later, though, after my work is done, and see how you're doing. Okay?"

Mikhail held onto my arm tightly for a minute, reluctant to let me go. Then he sighed and nodded as he released me. "Please do. I'll look forward to seeing you again." Then he lay back down and closed his eyes as I slipped out the door.

The town hall had a small kitchen, used mainly for food preparation for various events held at the hall, but also for boarders to use. I headed back there and found enough supplies to make Mikhail some tea and an omelet. I loaded the breakfast things onto a tray, took it back to his room, and left it on his table, urging him to eat up while everything was hot. He sighed and sat up, then came over to the small table.

He smiled and thanked me as he sat down to eat, and I kissed him on the top of his head and rushed off. I hurriedly cleaned up my mess in the kitchen, then ran out the door and towards home. There I changed into work clothes and hurried through my chores, then I grabbed the bags of seed I'd purchased from Gombe the day before and planted and watered them. It had warmed up considerably by then, leaving me hot and sweaty, so I showered and changed, then saddled up Nubium and hurried over the mountain to Bluebell.

Once there, I stopped first to visit Cam. I must have looked as tired and worn out as I felt; he looked concerned as he greeted me. He asked how Kana and Mikhail were doing, and I filled him in. He seemed slightly perturbed at my description of letting Mikhail sleep snuggled up to me for comfort all night, but he said nothing except that he was glad to hear he was better this morning. Then with a smile, he pulled out a small nosegay of lily-of-the-valley from his buckets of flowers, and handed it to me, saying, "Here, I think you need these today."

I took the flowers with a cry of delight, "Oh, how sweet! These are one of my very favorite flowers." I sniffed deeply of their sweet fragrance, then smiled wistfully at him, saying, "A 'return to happiness'…. Yes, I could use that right now." Then I thanked him and hurried off to finish my rounds.

I hadn't taken the time yesterday to deal with any of the messages on the board, so there were more than usual when I checked through them. In response to a message from Eileen, I hurried over to her house. I needed to see if she could join us camping, too, so I eagerly knocked on her door and went on in.

As usual, she was in her work shop. She grinned broadly when I walked in, saying, "So, you've come about my message? I think it's time to finish this tunnel—what do you say?"

I gave an excited little shriek, saying, "Really? You think it's ready to finish? Oh, that's wonderful! What can I do to help?" She gave me her list of necessary supplies, but this time I didn't have everything—I had been too busy lately to do much gathering of materials. So I told her I'd get everything together as quickly as possible and get back to her.

Then I told her about our plan for a girls' camping night. Her whole face lit up, and she excitedly accepted my invitation. She said that she had tons of canvas laying around, so since she'd learned to make bender tents as a child, she'd make our shelter. I grinned and accepted her offer, and asked her to let Laney know about the tent. Then I rushed off.

On the way back home, I foraged for herbs, mushrooms, and fruit as well as for the materials on Eileen's list. I didn't find quite everything I needed, though, so I decided to spend some time foraging on the way over to Bluebell tomorrow as well. I returned to my farm, left Nubium grazing in the small pasture, and hurried inside. I put my flowers in a small vase and grabbed a sandwich for a quick lunch. Then I headed back to the clinic, dropping off a few parcels along the way in response to various requests I'd accepted.

When I arrived, I first checked in with Dr. Ayame, and when I told her about Mikhail's improvement, her eyebrows shot up. "Well, kiddo," she said with a smile, "looks like you found the one medicine he needed: a healthy dose of _you_." I blushed, then quickly asked about Kana. "He's fine. He's itching to get back to his horses, though, and going nuts because he's stuck here!" she replied with a laugh. I laughed, too, then went back to visit.

Georgia was there again, but this time they were just chatting, so I grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to Georgia to visit for a few minutes. We chatted about how Kana was doing, the farm, his horses, and so on, until Georgia caught a look from Kana and hastily excused herself, saying she'd go grab them some lunch from Yun's and would I mind keeping him company while she was gone? She'd only be a few minutes.

After she left, Kana turned and looked at me, a serious look on his face. After a long pause, he said, slowly, "Alice… I, uhh… I just wanted to say, don't worry about me, okay? I think that fall knocked some sense back into me. Let's just be friends now, yeah? I'll be happy with that."

I smiled at him and put my hand on his, and said, "Kana, you're one of my very best friends, and you'll always be dear to me. I'm glad you think you'll be okay… " Just then, I heard Georgia's slow, sweet drawl call something to either Hiro or Dr. Ayame as she returned from the tea shop across the street. I smiled at Kana, and added, "… I think you will be, too."

Just then, Georgia opened the door and stepped in, holding a bag of delicious smelling food. Kana sat up eagerly, exclaiming, "Wow, that smells amazing! I'm starving!" I laughed and left them to their meal.

I stopped in at Gombe's to see if he'd gotten any new seeds in yet. He had some turnip seed today, so I picked some up. Next I checked the message board, then I went to Yun's and picked up a tofu salad and a thermos of sencha tea to go for Mikhail.

Finally, I returned to the town hall. I stopped and chatted with Ina, who seemed much cheerier today as she went about her mayoral duties—apparently she'd been very worried by recent events. She was a stern person by nature, but she genuinely cared for the village and its inhabitants. After we had talked for a few minutes, she said goodbye and left to tend to some matters about the village before stopping to enjoy some tea at Yun's. Wishing her a good day as she left, I returned to Mikhail's room.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	27. Chapter 26

**AN:** A little bit of lime in this chapter. Hope you're enjoying the story, thanks for reading! :)

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><p>I knocked on his door, and Mikhail opened it a moment later. He'd apparently just been dressing; he now wore nothing but jeans, and he held a shirt in his hand. He stepped aside and let me in, and I held up the bag from Yun's as I came in, saying, "I brought this for you in the hopes that you'd feel up to eating something?"<p>

He smiled and took the bag from me, setting it on his table. I watched him as he did so, realizing that while I'd seen Kana shirtless many times—he preferred to ride that way in hot weather—I'd never seen Mikhail without a shirt. Kana was lean and heavily muscled, his skin bronzed year-round from the sun, and he had a patch of thick, dark hair on his chest that trailed down his abdomen to his navel and beyond. Mikhail, while also lean, was more lithe and graceful, although I'd seen firsthand just how strong he was. His skin was light, as were his hair and eyes, and his chest was smooth and hairless. I thought to myself that if Kana had always brought to mind a big, strong bear, Mikhail reminded me more of an agile jungle cat as he silently padded barefoot across his floor.

Turning and catching me staring him, Mikhail smiled and returned to me. "Smells good. Thanks," he said. He put his arms around me in a close embrace, and I rested my cheek against his warm, smooth skin, sighing softly at the contact. I put my arms around his waist as I leaned against him, and felt him suddenly tense.

I pulled back a little and looked up at him questioningly, and blushed to see him gazing down at me, eyes heavy-lidded with barely suppressed desire. He leaned down slowly, not taking his eyes from mine, and kissed me—tenderly at first, then with increasing hunger and urgency. I put my arms around his neck, and in one swift, smooth movement, still kissing me, he lifted me up in his arms.

He carried me over to the sofa and sat down, holding me tightly against him. He broke away and began to nuzzle my neck, whispering into my ear, "Truthfully, I hunger and thirst only for you," before he began to leave little winding trails of kisses across my neck and throat, over my chin, and back to my lips. He pulled me firmly against him as his kisses increased in intensity, crushing me against his bare chest, his arm wrapped tightly around my back. His free hand slid up and down the length of my leg, gently stroking my bare skin, sliding from my ankle all the way up to just past the hem of my shorts and then back down again. He loosed his hold on me and gently lay me back on the sofa, his arm under my neck and resting my head on a cushion. Without breaking our kiss, he slid over so that he was stretched out on the sofa alongside me, propped up on one elbow and leaning over me, my arms still locked around his neck. His free hand started to slide higher up, along my thigh, brushing lightly over the shorts that covered my hips, and gently slid under my shirt, caressing my ribcage. His fingers softly explored my ribs, the points of my hips, the soft curve of my belly, and finally slid up and across my bra, gently caressing the roundness of my breasts through the silky, thin fabric as he hungrily devoured my mouth.

I gasped at the sensation, pushing him back and protesting, "Mikhail, no. That… that's going too far."

"Shhh," he replied, nuzzling my neck as he moved his hand away. "I won't do anything you don't want, but do let me kiss you." He slid his hand back down my side and up my belly as he again kissed little paths over my face and down my throat. He reached up and unfastened the top button of my shirt as he continued with his teasing kisses. He kissed down my chest to where the button had been, unbuttoning the next at the same time. He continued in this way, undoing a button, kissing the newly exposed skin, and undoing another, until my shirt lay wide open as he kissed down my belly. His hand then slid down my abdomen to the button of my shorts, but I sat up and grabbed his arm.

"No, Mikhail, not that. You need to stop." He looked at me, slightly dazed and breathing heavily, but he let go and sat up.

I swung my legs down and sat next to him, sighing deeply and with not a little regret. I took his hand and said, "Please listen to me. I'm still a virgin, Mikhail. And that's something I can only give away once. So I promised myself years ago that I would hold onto that until the right man came along—the man I choose to marry. Admittedly, I haven't really been tempted to break that promise until now. But I won't. If I did, I wouldn't be able to look you in the eyes afterwards—let alone face my reflection in the mirror. I have too much respect for myself, too great a sense of honor, to simply break a promise the first time I'm tempted. So please, Mikhail, don't try to go any further. I plan to be a virgin until my wedding night—and this isn't it."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him, still breathing heavily as he again crushed me against him and kissed my neck, whispering huskily into my skin, "Then marry me, Alice. Marry me right away—today. I'll give you a wedding night you'll never forget, my dearest, darling, beautiful Alice."

I pushed him away again, saying sternly, "Mikhail, that's lust talking, not love. I'd never accept a proposal from anyone who was looking at me the way you are right now. No, you'll just have to patient and wait, same as Cam, same as me. If I choose you in the end, _then_ I'll be all yours. But not until then. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is. Believe me, it's not easy for me, either."

He stared off into space for a minute, then turned and looked at me, his eyes still heavy-lidded, and asked, "And what if I can't wait?"

I put my hand on his, and replied, "Mikhail, I'm not forcing you to stay. You can leave any time. If you want me, your only chance is to wait it out. But you can just walk away if the waiting is too much for you."

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, then exhaled a slow sigh. He picked up my hand, turned it over, and tenderly kissed the palm of my hand, sending little shocks and thrills down my spine. "No, Alice. I'll wait. Even if there's no guarantee that I'll win you in the end. Still, I'll wait for you, for as long as it takes. I couldn't live without you." Then he dropped my hand and stood up. "Now please excuse me, my dearest. I… I think I need to go for a swim."

I gave him a soft kiss on his cheek and left. I didn't say anything, but I thought I could use a cold shower myself.

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><p>"Wow, Grandma! I can't believe he was putting the moves on you like that! And then asking you to marry him! And you turned him down!" I exclaimed, feeling both intrigued and slightly scandalized, thoroughly wrapped up in her tale by now.<p>

"Well, dear," she replied slowly, "you see, while many young people these days are quite willing to experiment openly, in my day there was much less of that sort of thing. Oh, it happened, to be sure—but we were far less open about it. However, I'd promised myself that I'd wait, so wait I did—I'd been raised to always keep my promises. But," she added with a twinkle in her eye, "I must say I was terribly tempted to break my promise that day!"

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><p>The next day, Monday, I finished gathering the supplies Eileen had requested. I took them over to her as soon as possible, and we excitedly made our way over to the tunnel. She entered the long, dark passage, ordering me to remain outside in case of collapse. From within, I heard the sounds of her working—she was surprisingly strong and vigorous for someone so willowy.<p>

After a while, she emerged with a triumphant look on her face. "_It's done_!" she squealed excitedly. "Come and see!" And with that, she grabbed my hand and ran into the tunnel, dragging me along. It was quite light near the end, but grew increasingly dark as we neared the middle. An occasional bat whirred past, squeaking in alarm as we disturbed it from its slumber. Just as I thought I couldn't bear the increasing darkness and the bats and the stale air any longer, we passed the midpoint and the tunnel began to lighten. Soon afterwards, we burst out of the tunnel into Konohana. I shrieked with glee, grabbing Eileen and dancing a joyful little jig with her.

Our antics quickly drew the attention of others, and before long, both towns were jubilantly praising Eileen for her efforts. In no time at all, Sheng and Eileen were deep in collaboration, making plans to install a simple series of lights along the tunnel—just enough to light the path and keep people from injuring themselves, nothing too extravagant. Having been assured by both Eileen and Sheng that the tunnel was quite safe, the mayors decided to hold a joint celebration the next day, and soon everyone was involved, planning food to bring, and decorations, and music. The talk went late into the night, and it was dark when I made my way home. The only thing that dimmed my joy in the day was that since it was Monday, Cam hadn't been there to join in the excitement and the planning.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	28. Chapter 27

**AN:** Kind of a long chapter, sorry about that! I hope you are enjoying it, thanks for reading!

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><p>Bright and early Tuesday morning, Eileen and Sheng went to work stringing wires and lights along the tunnel from either end to the middle. Meanwhile, the villagers began preparations. The plan was to have music and dancing in the meadow outside the tunnel opening in Bluebell and to set up tables of food and drink along the stream at the southern end of Konohana. I hurried through my morning chores, then finished preparing the dishes I'd agreed to bring—a huge salad, several loaves of bread that I'd started rising the night before, and a big stoneware jug of sweet iced tea.<p>

While the loaves finished cooling, I showered and dried my hair, then dressed in a white peasant blouse embroidered with flowers in shades of blue and lilac, and a flowing, tiered peasant skirt in navy blue with embroidery along the hem. I fastened a delicate gold chain with a blue agate pendant around my neck, and put on some gold hoop earrings. I slipped on some strappy sandals, brushed my hair, grabbed my culinary contributions, and headed out. I left the food and tea with Yun, who had taken charge of refreshments, then went to see what there was to see. I found Georgia looking around uncertainly and called to her to come look for Laney and Eileen with me. We passed through the tunnel, admiring the new lighting, and found Laney at the far end as she finished setting up a small table full of beverages, to keep the dancers refreshed, she said. Eileen was helping Sheng, Ash, and Cam set up a sound system to play music, but she soon finished and joined us.

The four of us wandered around the meadow, then sat down in the grass to firm up our camping plans. As I'd expected, Nori and Reina declined, so it would be just us four. While we talked and laughed, I absent-mindedly wove wild cornflowers and daisies plucked from among the grass into a coronet. Eileen noticed my handiwork first, and they all admired it. So I showed them how to do it, and we each made circlets of wildflowers for ourselves and for the other young ladies of the villages, including Cheryl and Ying. When we finished, we quickly found the other girls and gave them their garlands. Timid Ying was particularly excited to wear hers, made of little wild pinks and tiny lawn daisies, and it brought a soft glow to her sweet little face.

Having delivered our garlands, we returned to the Bluebell side and found the men had just finished setting up the music. Putting our heads together, we decided we wanted to dance a circle dance. The girls from Bluebell had never danced one, but they were a common festival dance in Konohana. I'd learned the steps from my mother, so I'd had no trouble joining in the dancing after I moved there. I thought it would be fun for the Konohanian girls to teach the Bluebellian girls how to dance them. Word quickly spread, and soon all the women and girls from both villages had gathered together—even Reina joined in. Ina supplied the music to Sheng, who was tending the sound system, and the other men gathered around to enjoy the sight.

We arranged ourselves so that Bluebellians alternated with Konohanians, to help them learn the steps more easily; I was between Eileen and Cheryl. After a quick explanation of the simple steps, Sheng started the music playing, and we began, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Our skirts whirled, our hair streamed behind us as we spun around, our feet flew. In what seemed like no time at all, the music ended, and we collapsed on the ground, dizzy and giggling, as the men enthusiastically applauded.

The men then asked for a dance that they could join in, so we expanded the circle to include them. Now we alternated men and women—Sheng decided to sit it out, since he was busy with the music anyway—and Cam and Mikhail claimed the places on either side of me. I showed them the steps to this dance; Mikhail had danced one like it before, but that was long ago, he said. They both caught on quickly, and by the time Sheng was ready to start the music playing, both were going through the steps with relative ease. Then the music began, I grabbed Cam and Mikhail by their hands, and we were off, whirling as before. For this dance, we sometimes shifted into pairs for a few turns, joined up as a circle again, then paired off with the partner to the other side. So sometimes I was spinning around with only Cam or only Mikhail, our smaller circles part of a larger circle, and other times we were all in a single large circle together. It was great fun, and again when it ended, everyone tumbled to the ground, laughing and dizzy.

I lay back on the grass where I had dropped down, tucked my hands under my head, and watched the sky spin overhead as I caught my breath. Cam and Mikhail flung themselves down on either side of me, likewise laying and watching the sky overhead. The thought that this could lead to another ugly scene flitted across my mind, but I quickly chased it away—I was too happy and full of festival joy to worry about maybes. It appeared that they had somehow decided on a truce for the day, though, for even though both paid close attention to me, there were no black looks, frigid stares, angry words, or tantrums of any sort. They even both brought some refreshments to me without jockeying for position. Mikhail brought me a glass of sweet wine, and Cam brought me a handful of tiny early strawberries that he fed to me one at a time. After I'd finished my refreshments, we all strolled together to Konohana, where we joined the crowds at the tables of food. Again Cam and Mikhail waited on me, first finding a cozy spot where the three of us could sit together, then leaving me there to hold our seats, they went off in search of food and drink.

They came back a little while later with their arms laden. Cam set a plate of food before me while Mikhail poured foamy, golden beer from a large pitcher into a tankard and handed it to me. We sat and talked and ate and drank; others came and went, stopping to talk or to sit and have a drink with us, then moving on only to be replaced by others. I ate lightly, just some of the salads, a little bread, and a little cheese. "I don't want to stuff myself," I explained apologetically, "because then I won't feel much like dancing anymore—and I _do_ want to dance!" Both men laughed at my enthusiasm, but at least neither scolded me for eating so little.

When I finished my light supper, both men still had quite a bit left on their plates, so I asked them to excuse me for a few minutes. I ran quickly up the road to my house, where I popped into my bathroom and grabbed my hairbrush. Sure enough, when I looked into the mirror, my unkempt hair was standing out like a golden halo around my head. I brushed it smooth again, then realized I'd lost my floral garland somewhere, probably while dancing. I hurried back, picking a large bunch of wildflowers along the way. When I returned, I sat and wove the flowers into a new garland while chatting with the men as they finished eating. They watched the garland grow rapidly in my hands with fascination, Cam especially. I twisted the finished garland around into a circlet and wove the ends together before placing it on my head with a laugh. Then I jumped up, gathered up the empty dishes, and took them to a table full of dirty dishes waiting to be washed.

We returned to Bluebell, enjoying the ease with which we could now travel between the two towns. Cam and Mikhail walked on either side of me, each holding one of my hands. I loved that I was able to enjoy such a pleasant time with them both, without fighting or drama, but at the same time, I felt a little odd—as if I had two boyfriends, when in fact neither one of them was my boyfriend—at least, not officially. When we arrived, there were already a few couples there: Kana was dancing with Georgia as best he could with his arm in a cast, and Ash was dancing with Laney. Rutger and Rose danced slowly to one side of the meadow, too. I could see Hiro working up the courage to ask Nori to dance, though it looked as though Dirk might beat him to it, almost certainly oblivious to Hiro's intentions. On the fringes, I spotted Eileen chatting with Sheng as he tended the music, though she cast wistful glances at the dancers now and then. And Reina was standing a ways off, poking at some shrub she'd spotted near the village gates.

I stopped and thought for a minute, then I turned to Mikhail and Cam, and with a blush, I said, "Guys, will you do me a huge favor?" They looked curiously at me and waited for me to continue. "Please, I'm enjoying myself so much… but Eileen and Reina look neglected and lonely. They're both so nice; could… could you dance with them instead of me tonight? I don't mind not dancing _very_ much—I'll enjoy watching you, and it'll make me so happy if those girls enjoy themselves." I looked pleadingly from one to the other.

They looked startled by my request, looking first at me, then each other, at both girls, and finally back to me. Mikhail opened his mouth, then shut it again. Cam looked thoughtful for a minute, then smiled fondly at me as he said, "You know, you constantly amaze me, Alice. Most girls wouldn't give another girl a second thought when it comes to men. You're not like that. You're thoughtful and generous."

Mikhail smiled and nodded agreement, adding, "Cam's right. You are a kind-hearted woman, Alice. But—don't think for one minute that either of us is willing to give you up entirely. If Cam agrees, why don't you take it in turns to dance with us, while the other dances with one of your lonesome lambs?"

Cam grinned at Mikhail's assessment, saying, "That sounds perfect. I'll take Reina—I can talk plants with her—if Mikhail is willing to take Eileen?" Mikhail nodded agreement. "Then," Cam continued, "it just remains to decide who gets you for the first dance. Coin toss?"

"Excellent," Mikhail replied. "But let's step aside, so that the ladies don't catch sight of us." Cam nodded agreement and they walked off towards the tunnel.

They returned a few minutes later, the matter apparently settled. Cam smiled and shrugged helplessly at me as he walked on by towards Reina, who looked up in surprise at his approach, while Mikhail held his hand out to me. Cam, who could be immensely charming when he chose, persuaded Reina to join him for a dance, while Mikhail expertly guided me through the lively folk dance currently in session.

Apparently they had additionally agreed, out of my hearing, that since the first dance was already half over when we arrived, they would continue on for a second dance. So Mikhail held on to me for the next full dance, then bowing over my hand as he kissed it, he handed me over to Cam and went to ask Eileen to join him. I watched the exchange between them, and she looked so surprised and delighted, I felt my cheeks glow with pleasure for her. Cam was watching me, and as we began to dance, he murmured into my ear, "Like I said before, you're something else." He smiled at me, and we set off in a whirl.

I danced all the remainder of the night with Cam and Mikhail, grateful towards the end that we were dancing on a soft field and not a hard floor. I had removed my sandals after the first several dances and danced barefoot. With my skirt whirling and my hair flying, wildflowers caught up in my locks, I felt like a half-wild Gypsy girl as I danced in the twilight with my two suitors.

When it became too chilly and dark to dance, we all began to disperse to our homes. Cam and Mikhail both walked me back to my farm, and I invited them in for a nightcap. They accepted, and I sent them to sit in the living room while I changed out of my clothes, which were in a sad state after so much frolicking. I hesitated for a minute, then shrugging to myself, grabbed my pajamas and my silk kimono embroidered with cherry blossoms—after all, they'd both seen me in my nightclothes and robe before, anyway, so I might as well be comfortable.

I went into the bathroom and pulled off my skirt and blouse, examining them for damage. The skirt had a small tear in it, so I set it aside to be mended, then I tossed everything else into the laundry to wash. I pulled on the ivory camisole and tap pants set I had grabbed and slipped into the mid-calf length kimono, tying the sash securely around my waist. Next, I picked all the flowers from my hair and brushed all the tangles out. Finally, I quickly washed my grass-stained feet and patted them dry before rubbing some cream into them and my hands. I slipped into my little slippers and emerged, feeling somewhat less disheveled.

Grandma Nellie had left a small selection of liquors and liqueurs in her little kitchen, which I'd brought with me when I moved. I pulled out a bottle of well-aged cognac, poured three glasses, placed them on a tray and carried it out. I set the tray on the small table by the little sofa, grabbed a chair from the dining room to sit in, and told the men to help themselves as I picked up a glass. Both men rose and tried to offer me their seat, but I waved them away, assuring them I was fine on the chair. My dining chairs were upholstered and oversized, so I had plenty of room to tuck my feet up under me as I leaned against the back of the chair with one arm hanging down behind the back. I sipped my cognac, looking at the two men and thinking about the festival.

After a few minutes, I swung my legs back down and set my glass on the table. I leaned my shoulder against the back of the chair and crossed my legs, then looking at the two men, I said, "I really had a lot of fun today. It was… it was so nice to be able to be with both of you and not have all the tension and anger and worry that usually happens when you're together. I'm really grateful. But… why? I mean, I'm _certainly_ not complaining, but… but I don't know how long you intend for this to last, or why you're suddenly cooperating, and I'm very curious."

They looked at me in surprise, then looked at each other—a little sheepishly, I thought. Cam looked back to me, and explained. "You see, the other afternoon—Sunday afternoon, that is—I was walking over the mountain to see you. When I got to the area outside the village where the river widens out into shallow pools, I spotted Mikhail sitting there on the riverbank. Suddenly it occurred to me that maybe he and I should have a talk, kind of try to figure out how things stood, you know. So I stopped and told him we should talk. He looked irritated to see me, but he agreed…."

"Yes, I'd just finished a long swim," Mikhail interjected, with a meaningful glance that made me blush a little, "when out of nowhere, Cam showed up and suggested we discuss things. So… we did."

"He talked about his recent illness," Cam continued, "and about how much he loved you. And I said that I felt the same way. He looked annoyed then, and told me to hurry up and get to the point. So I said that since we both are in love with you, and that it seems you are in love with _both_ of us, and furthermore since the strain and tension was taking a toll on all of us…."

He hesitated for a minute, and Mikhail took over. "Cam suggested that we try to stop fighting over you, try to end hostilities and get along instead. He said that since we both have the same ultimate goal—your happiness—perhaps we should focus more on that than on with whom you finally choose to be happy."

"Mikhail agreed to try," Cam resumed, "and so we spent some more time talking—since we didn't really know each other at all, and it seemed like if we were going to try to be… well, at least trying to get along, we should know a little about each other. Then since it was getting late, we each returned home."

"Monday was so busy," Mikhail added, "that there wasn't really time to tell you about our meeting, and it seemed best to wait until the three of us could sit down together, anyway."

I looked back and forth between the two men in astonishment, feeling tears forming in my eyes. "You mean… the two of you decided to be friends?"

"Well… perhaps not exactly friends," Cam said. Mikhail nodded, saying, "After all, we _are_ still rivals. More like… collaborators?"

"Or allies," Cam suggested. "I can't promise that there won't be any more fighting or that I won't ever get angry or say things I shouldn't…."

"Nor I," Mikhail agreed, "but we'll at least _try_ to get along from now on. We can't stand seeing you unhappy—that much at least we agree upon wholeheartedly."

"We agreed that if you choose to be with one of us, whether for an hour or for the rest of our lives, we'd respect your choice," Cam went on. "And we agreed that when we were all together, we'd try to share you equally, rather than trying to crowd each other out."

My hand flew to my mouth, stifling a sob, and I felt the tears begin to spill down my cheeks. "That… that's just incredible." I got up, and although there wasn't really _quite_ enough room for three on the small sofa, I wriggled in between the two anyway. I tucked my arms into theirs, and said, "You have no idea how much this means to me. I can't tell you how sorry I am for the situation that we're in… but I'm so glad that you've decided to stop fighting about it. Maybe now I'll be able to sleep at night," I added with a slight laugh as I kissed each of them on the cheek.

Shortly afterward, Cam rose and set his empty glass back on the tray, saying, "Well, it's late, and I'd better be getting back home. At least it only takes a fraction of the time to travel between villages now."

Mikhail and I stood up as well, and Mikhail ran his hand through his short, silver-blond hair, as he looked away and said, "Yes, I'd better go, too. I'll… I'll just step outside for a few minutes." And he shrugged into his jacket and went out the door, leaving me alone with Cam.

Cam reached out to me and pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me. I leaned my cheek against his chest, saying, "You're incredible, Cam. You mean, you really won't be jealous anymore when I'm with Mikhail?"

He stepped back slightly, cupping my face in his hands and lifting my chin to look me straight in the eyes. With a serious look in his eyes, he said, "No, I don't mean that at all. Of course I'll be jealous—terribly jealous. I want you all to myself, all the time, every day for the rest of forever, Alice. But… I'll try to be more patient and to give you the space you need to make your decision. Okay?"

I nodded, and he leaned down and kissed me. His kisses were always so gentle—tender, though with an undercurrent of passion lying just below the surface—not fierce or primal or urgent as Mikhail's often were. Cam was content to take things slow and easy, never in a rush, just enjoying each moment as he lived it. We parted, and he gently stroked my hair as he looked lovingly into my eyes and said softly, "Good night, Alice. I enjoyed being with you today. I hope to see you again very soon." He kissed the top of my head, grabbed his cap and jacket, and left.

A minute later, Mikhail returned, looking solemn. "So, now you know. I'll try my hardest, Alice, but… it won't be easy. I am rather… jealous… by nature. I don't want to share you, and I hate the thought of you with anyone but me. I want you—and I want you to want me and _only_ me. But as I said, I'll try to… to give you time to find where your heart is leading you." Then he enveloped me in a tight embrace and kissed me passionately. He pulled back after a few minutes, then held me even more tightly against him, so that I could feel the pounding of his heart.

He sighed, kissed and nuzzled my neck, then stopped and pulled back. "I should leave now," he said, regretfully. "One of our agreements was that until you made your choice, neither of us would do anything with you that we weren't okay with the other doing with you, too. So I'd better stop here, because I definitely would _not_ be okay with… with Cam doing more than that with you." I smiled and hugged him, then he, too, left for home.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	29. Chapter 28

**AN:** At the request of a reader, I'm trying out breaking up the dialogue in the traditional manner rather than lumping it all together in paragraphs, to see if that makes the dialogue easier to read. I'd love to know what you think, if you find it easier or prefer the old way, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM! I'll adjust past chapters if readers seem to like it this way. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story!

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><p>The day of our girls-only camping trip finally arrived. We had decided to leave Monday afternoon, spend the night on the mountain, and return Tuesday after lunch. Ash was already filling in for Georgia at Grady's, and Mako agreed to help Kana while she was away. Laney baked up a storm on Monday, so that her dad wouldn't run out of her popular desserts at the café while she was gone. Even little Cheryl volunteered to help Howard with washing up after dinner, despite her disappointment at not being allowed to go with "the big girls".<p>

Dirk eagerly offered to help me with my farm chores, saying that he had more free time now that the tunnel was open and his deliveries didn't take nearly so long to finish. So I asked him if he'd milk my cows and gather eggs, telling him that he could keep the milk & eggs in return. I showed him how to do the milking, and although he was a little clumsy at first, he picked up on it pretty quickly. I hadn't spent much time with the happy-go-lucky young man and was surprised not only at how clever and witty he was, but also how bright and insightful, especially given his young age. Perhaps all that time spent walking in solitude over the mountain had been beneficial to him.

Eileen went up earlier than the rest of us to make our shelter—something she'd called a "bender tent." It appeared to be a sort of floorless structure made of branches and slender young saplings that she had driven into the ground and woven together into a dome, then she draped canvas over it and secured it at the base. She'd also thrown some additional canvas and some old rugs down on the ground inside, to provide some protection from cold and damp. Laney had put together a large hamper of food, Georgia brought some thick mats to use as bedding, and I brought piles of old quilts and pillows that I'd accumulated from my two farmhouses. I also brought my violin, to the delight of the others.

After we had everything set up and arranged to our satisfaction, Laney began meal preparations while Eileen set up a fire pit and some rocks and logs and such for seating and to use as tables. Meanwhile, Georgia pulled grass up from around the fire pit and gathered some fresh herbs and greens for Laney, and I went off to collect wood for the fire and water from the spring for cooking and washing. Soon Laney had a wonderful-smelling stew simmering in a pot over glowing coals. Eileen kept an eye on it and stirred it now and then, and watched some little flatbreads that were baking on stones arranged around the coals. Laney and Georgia prepared the salad and dressing, and I hunted for wild mushrooms. I trimmed some small branches to make skewers for roasting the mushrooms over the coals. I had borrowed a coal-fueled samovar from Ina, and we had it heated and ready to use for tea or coffee. Georgia had brought some marshmallows, as well, and Laney had baked a honey cake.

After we ate our meal, we sat around the fire pit in the lengthening shadows, toasting marshmallows over the coals. As we were talking away, suddenly Georgia sat bolt upright with her eyes wide, saying, "Shhh! Did y'all hear that?"

We all listened, and I thought I heard a faint rustling in the bushes nearby. I laughed, and said, "Oh, Georgia, it's probably just a fox!"

"No," she exclaimed, scooting along the log closer to Laney. "I heard something else, something bigger!" We listened again, then suddenly there was a loud crashing in the bushes right behind me. Georgia and Laney shrieked and Eileen froze, the blood drained from her face as she pointed a shaking finger my direction. I rose and turned around to find a massive brown bear rising up on his hind legs behind me.

Georgia, Laney, and Eileen all jumped up and ran, screaming, towards the tent. I looked after them as they ran, and Eileen shouted at me to run. I laughed, walked over to the bear, and skritched him on his chest. "There, old fellow, you like that, don't you? Oh yeah, and maybe a little scratch over here?" I crooned as I moved to scratch his shoulders as he lowered himself down, leaning into my hand and snuffling, his eyes closing in delight.

I looked back to the girls, who stood next to the tent with their mouths hanging open in astonishment. "Hey, it's okay! Come on back. Don't let his size scare you, he's super gentle!"

"It's not so much his size that scares me," Laney called in a shaky voice, "as the size of his teeth and claws!"

I just laughed. "Bruno here's my pal, he won't hurt you unless he thinks you're a threat or food. And he likes honey and salmon and berries for his supper, not pretty girls! That's how we got to be friends, I'd share my berries with him and give him some of the fish I caught. At first he was a little grumpy, and he'd give me a swipe to tell me to get away from his berry bushes. But soon we became good pals, didn't we, Bruno ol' boy?" I said, turning back to the bear. "See? He's really nice!" I exclaimed, stroking his thick, shaggy fur.

After a few minutes, Eileen slowly approached us, and reached out a tentative hand to pet him. "Oh!" she exclaimed as she stroked his side, "He's so soft! I didn't expect him to be this soft!" A minute later, Georgia found the courage to join us and likewise exclaimed at his soft coat as she stroked him gently.

Finally, still fearful and hesitant, Laney crept up to him and gave him a teensy pet. When all he did was slowly swing his great head around and give her a mild snuffle of approval, she was encouraged to pet him a little more. He appeared to greatly enjoy the attention being lavished upon him as the four of us petted and scratched him.

After a few more minutes, I gave him a final pat, saying, "Well, old man, it's time for you to move on. Here," I added, pulling some leftover honey cake out of the basket and giving it to him. "Take this and go on back home now. I'll go fishing someday soon, and I'll catch some nice, fat fish, just for you to eat. Good night now, Bruno!" I said, giving him a slap on his hindquarter to send him on his way. He waddled off, his mouth full of sweet cake, grunting and snorting as he left. He disappeared into the bushes, and soon the sound of his crashing through the underbrush faded and all grew still once more.

The girls were awestruck that they'd actually gotten to pet a huge brown bear like that. I explained that all the wild animals were just that—wild—and that if you wanted to make friends, you had to earn their trust. "But," I said, "it's worth it if you can do it. They're so sweet when they come up for attention, and I've even had them bring me things. Bruno once brought me a salmon he'd caught, and another time a boar brought me some mushrooms. Mikhail enjoys befriending the animals around here, too, especially the foxes and sparrows."

"Oh!" exclaimed Eileen, "I'd love to be friends with those cute little foxes!"

"And the little birdies!" Laney cried.

"Oh, I'd just love to be able to cuddle those cute widdle bunnies!" Georgia added.

I laughed and said, "Well, then take it slow and let them get familiar with you. Give them things that they like to eat, and pet them if they'll let you. Watch out for the larger wild animals, though. Like I said, even old Bruno would take a swipe at me now and then, as did some of the other bears if I got too close. And boars can be really temperamental!"

We changed into pajamas and climbed into our beds. Georgia had brought a kerosene lantern that her father had loaned her, and we lit it and turned it down low, hanging it from one of the branches overhead. "So… " Laney said with a sigh, thus ushering in the nighttime confidences traditional to this sort of gathering, "as you all probably have noticed by now, I… I really like Ash. A lot, I mean. I've been trying for ages to get him to notice me, but for a while he only had eyes for you, Alice."

I blushed and started to apologize, but she cut me off, saying, "Oh! I'm not mad or blaming you or anything. I know you didn't do anything to encourage him. Honestly, you don't have to—just being you is enough. But then something happened, and he seemed to stop being quite so keen on you…." She trailed off, looking at me curiously.

"Oh, yeah… that. Well, apparently… as you said, he'd kind of gotten a crush on me. And… so one day, after I started seeing both Cam and Mikhail, I had stopped by Ash's to say hi…." I thought back to that afternoon, and shivered. "Anyway, so… umm, Ash kind of… kind of tried to force himself on me. I mean, I don't know how far he intended to take it, but it really scared me—he's so much stronger than me, and I couldn't stop him. And then just as I was getting really frightened and starting to panic, Cam passed by on his way to the river. He saw what Ash was doing, so he jumped over the fence and grabbed him and yanked him off of me. So… afterwards, Cam had a talk with him, and then he apologized and we had a talk. Ash was really embarrassed, but, well, it took me a long time to get over the shock. To be honest, even though he's been nothing but a perfect gentleman ever since, I still get nervous if… if I'm along with him. I don't know why he did what he did—even he didn't seem to know. He talked about how jealous he was and also how angry he was because I was seeing both Cam and Mikhail, and he hated that I was seeing his best friend and not him, but also because he felt like I was stringing his best friend along. So… I guess… it's just really complicated. But I do believe he's really a nice guy! I don't think anything bad about him. He just kind of went a little nuts. And… well, it's not the first time that's happened with me. So I think it's something to do with me, not him. I don't know _why_ it happens. I mean, I never invite that kind of attention or act all free and easy with the guys like a lot of girls I went to school with. But… they just seem… drawn to me? And once in a while, one will kind of… lose it. In high school, one guy…." I kind of choked up and had to take a few deep breaths before continuing, "… one guy actually killed my kitten because I wouldn't go out with him."

The other girls gasped in shock, and Georgia put her arm around me. "And… and another one would follow me _every_where, all the time. My dad finally called the cops when he found him climbing a tree outside my bedroom window… carrying lingerie, a rope, a camera and… and a hunting knife. So… as scary as Ash's reaction was—and unexpected, because he'd never seemed even remotely interested before—it wasn't the worst I've been through, by far. So… anyway Laney, I think he's over his infatuation now. I'm… I'm sorry. I really didn't want…."

She reached out and squeezed my arm, saying, "Hey, it's okay. I'm glad you could tell me about it. I've… I've noticed that, about you I mean—the effect you have on people, especially men. To be honest, I kind of… didn't really like you at first, because I could tell Ash was so attracted to you, and because I thought you were just a big flirt." I cringed, stung by her words. "But that was then!" she exclaimed hastily. "I definitely don't think that about you now. And while I'm sad for Cam that he's kind of stuck in limbo with you and Mikhail, I'm sad for _all_ of you—and I'm not blaming you at all. It can't be helped, I know that. Now that I've gotten to know you better, I know you're really just the nicest, sweetest girl ever, and although I don't know why you attract so much attention, I also know you don't do it on purpose. It just sort of… does itself. I mean, even Reina likes you! Reina doesn't like _any_one!" she said with a laugh. Then sighing, she said, "Well, now that I know about some of your past experiences, I can see why the whole relationship situation has you so stressed out."

Georgia lay thoughtfully for a minute, then rolled onto her side, saying, "Well, just so all y'all know, I'm kinda in the same boat, in a way… as Laney, I mean. I _really_ like Kana—I have for some time now. So seeing you just waltz on in and have him instantly fall head over heels in love with you without you even trying… and then having you reject him when I know he proposed, and seeing how crushed he was afterwards… just to find out you'd agreed to let him date you after all, in addition to Mikhail and Cam… well, let me tell you, that was hard. I was real out of sorts for a while. But same as Laney, as I got to know you, I found you really were a nice person, not at all what I thought at first. You just seem to attract people, and you can't help it. It's just the way you are. But you are just so sweet and nice and, well, no one can stay mad at you—no one in their right mind anyway! 'Sides, now Kana's finally gotten over you… and even better, he seems to be noticing me at last!" she said with a happy little wriggle.

I laughed, saying, "I know—I tried really hard to get you two thrown together! That seems to be a weird side effect of my 'talent', if you can call it that—I'm a terrific matchmaker!" We all laughed at that, then Eileen turned to me with a wistful look.

"If you're really such a great matchmaker," she said, "maybe you can help me!"

We all looked at her in surprise. "Who… ?" Laney started to ask.

"Oh, no one you know," Eileen quickly interrupted. "He's from another village, and he's really a great artisan. He's a sculptor, and he's so talented. Really cute, too! But he hardly even knows I exist," she added, sadly.

We all commiserated with her, then Laney looked at me and said, "So tell us Alice, who _do_ you like better—Cam or Mikhail?"

Taken by surprise, I laughed nervously, and said semi-jokingly, "Hey, now, Cam didn't ask you to try to find out for him, did he?"

Opening her eyes wide, she said, "No way! And even if he _did_ ask me to do that, I wouldn't—he can just find out for himself. I know _I_ wouldn't think much of a guy that asked girls to find out if his crush likes him back instead of talking to her himself like a man!"

With a sigh, I said, "Well, there'd be nothing to tell, anyway."

The others looked expectantly at me, so sighing again, I explained, "I think you all know that I knew Mikhail years ago, right?" They all nodded, and I continued. "So Mikhail and I met when I started taking violin lessons from his guardian. A year later, when I was only thirteen, we fell madly in love with each other. But when I was fifteen, his guardian told me I was a distraction and that I was holding him back from what could be a brilliant career. So he told me was taking him away that very night and that he didn't want me to see him or try to contact him, not even to say goodbye. So… they left. And apparently all those years, Mikhail thought I'd just dumped him without so much as a word—I guess his guardian let him think that, thinking he'd get over me faster that way. When we met up again, when he came to Konohana… I learned he'd spent the eight years since that night just hating me. But apparently he somehow loved me, too, at the same time. And then when he found out what had really happened…. But by then I'd already started to kind of see Cam, and I really liked being with him. So… basically, I'd started the very first baby steps into the first relationship I'd had since my first love left, only to have him suddenly come back into my life. I _hate_ the situation we're in. Both of them say that they love me, and I… I think I love both of them. But I have to make a choice somehow."

I started to cry then, laying my head down on my arms, tears trickling down my cheeks as I said, "I just don't know what to do. They even came to an agreement that they'd try to cease hostilities, just to try to make it easier on me. But whoever I pick, half of my heart will be broken to pieces. So… what do I do? I just don't know… no matter what, someone's going to get hurt in the end. All I want is for everyone to be happy."

Georgia rubbed my back, Eileen stroked my hair, and Laney reached across and put her hand on my arm. "Hey," she said, "it's okay. I… I can't imagine being in your predicament, being in love with two men at the same time I mean, and having to choose between them. But no one is rushing you—or they'd _better_ not be—so just relax and eventually it'll all be clear what you should do. And it might not be easy, but it'll still feel like it's the right decision." I nodded, wiping the tears from my eyes, and smiled weakly at her.

"Still… " Georgia sighed, "it's an awful romantic story! Separated from your first love, you find a new love—only to find your first love again! Two handsome, dashing young men competing for the hand of the lady they both adore! It's like a romance novel, or a movie!" I giggled then, and we all started to laugh.

Afterwards, as the evening grew dark and chilly, I wrapped my kimono around me, pulled out my violin, and started to play. First I played songs that the others could sing along with, then as they began to get sleepy, I switched to soft melodies to lull them to sleep. They eventually dropped off, one by one, into sound sleep. Then, still feeling no compulsion to close my eyes, I slipped silently out into the night, sat on a rock a short ways from the tent, and played softly to the stars until I finally felt sleep overtaking me. I returned to the tent, placed my violin back in its case, and fell asleep moments after I burrowed down into my bedding.

I woke up early the next morning, accustomed as I was to rising early. The sky was just turning light in the east, and the earliest of the early birds were beginning to sing in the treetops. I crept out of my bed, quietly dressed, folded up my pajamas and bedding, and slipped out into the chill of the early morning, my violin case in hand. The grass was dewy; the air was crisp and cool and scented of woods and of flowers just beginning to open to the new day. I quietly climbed up to the very peak, and sitting on a rock overlooking the valley, I watched the sunrise.

As I listened to the morning birdsong, I soon began to mimic their tunes with my violin until I had a lively little chorus of assorted songbirds gathered in the trees and shrubs and on the ground around me. Finally, I ad-libbed a piece consisting of all the different birdsongs I'd imitated in one spritely improvisation. When I was done, I jumped as the sound of enthusiastic applause came from behind me, startling the birds into flying a safe distance away. Laney, Georgia, and Eileen stood close by, looking delighted as they clapped heartily.

"That was amazing!" Georgia exclaimed, her eyes shining.

"How did you learn to do that?" asked Eileen, eagerly.

"Oh, do it again!" Laney pleaded.

I turned red, but pleased by their response to my playing, I made up some more birdsong-inspired tunes. Afterwards, feeling hungry and cold, I suggested we set about making a fire and cooking some breakfast, so we returned to camp.

We had brought our swimsuits with us, and after breakfast we changed into them and strolled over to the spring. The water was crystal clear but very cold, so we had a only quick swim, then we spent the rest of the morning lying in the warm sun at the edge of the spring. When the sun was high in the sky, we returned to camp to change back into our clothes, ate a light lunch of sandwiches and fruit, and started to pack up. We sorted our things out and went our separate ways, Laney and Eileen returning to Bluebell, while Georgia and I headed towards Konohana.

The walk took longer than expected, what with carrying all our equipment, and we arrived back in town in the late afternoon. We stopped off at my house, depositing our packs on my porch. We went inside, and I grabbed some glasses of iced tea for us. We collapsed on the porch steps, hot and sweaty and tired and very grateful for our cold drinks. We talked and giggled over our campout, and we agreed we should try to do that again sometime soon, maybe after Kana's arm had healed completely. I suggested we at least make an annual tradition of it—spending a night up on the mountain even when we were old and gray to get away for a night and to catch up and talk girl-talk. Georgia agreed enthusiastically, then, draining our glasses, we set out again.

I left my things on the porch and helped Georgia carry her things the rest of the way to the town hall. She tucked them into a corner of her room, planning to return them on horseback the next day. I said goodbye and popped over to see if Mikhail was back from his walk. I hadn't seen him on the way home, but he often went off the beaten path on his walks. He wasn't in, so I went to check the message board before returning to my farm to water my crops and check on my animals. Dirk appeared to have done a fine job, even thinking to top off their water troughs.

Pleased with the results of my inspection, I saddled Nubium and headed off at a trot through the tunnel to Bluebell. She hadn't yet been ridden through the tunnel and appeared mildly apprehensive as we entered. A sudden flurry of bat wings and shrill squeaks startled her, causing her to pull up short, whinnying in dismay. I dismounted and stroked her face reassuringly until she was calm again, then led her until we were well past the midpoint. Then I mounted her again and walked her the rest of the way through with no further problems. We trotted into town, where I first stopped at the message board to check messages. Then I visited the villagers, dropping off a few requested items as I went, saving Cam for last.

When I arrived at the café, he'd already closed shop and was just finishing getting his receipts in order for the day. I invited him to go for a ride, so he headed over to Grady's to see if he could borrow his usual horse, a buckskin gelding named Cowboy. Meanwhile, I bought a bottle of wine and some bread and cheese from the café before meeting up with him just outside the town plaza.

We rode up to the mountain peak, then tied our horses and walked up to the very top. We sat on the rocks there, chatting as we watched the sun set, sipping wine and nibbling cheese and bread. After the sun had gone down, we slowly rode back to Bluebell, parting ways with a kiss at the meadow between the gates and the tunnel entrance. It was a lovely ending to a wonderful day.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	30. Chapter 29

**AN:** Sorry so late today! I had a lot going on today and couldn't get to it any sooner. It's a longish chapter, at least. Things get a little lively in this installment, too! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>My birthday is late in the spring, and as it approached, I felt a little apprehensive. I was worried that both Cam and Mikhail would want to spend the evening alone with me, and I didn't want the occasion to refuel their rivalry. I wondered if I should invite them both over, or perhaps avoid it altogether. As it happened, a few days beforehand, Georgia asked if I could join her, Laney, and Eileen the evening of my birthday for a picnic. I accepted, feeling partly relieved to avoid any conflict but also partly disappointed that I apparently wouldn't be spending my birthday with either of my suitors, let alone both. I shrugged it off, though, and went about my business as cheerfully as usual.<p>

The day of my twenty-fourth birthday dawned bright and clear, the promise of a hot, sunny day corroborated by the early weather report. I went about my morning routine as usual, breakfasting and tending to my household and farm chores before heading out to check the message boards and visit the villagers in both towns. To my surprise, both towns seemed empty. I couldn't imagine where everyone could be as it wasn't a festival day, and I felt a little melancholy to be so alone on my birthday of all days.

I slowly ambled along the path from Bluebell up towards the mountain, but before I could get past the river shallows, Grady came hurrying down the mountain path towards me, huffing and puffing from the effort of chasing me down. After catching his breath, he said he'd been looking for me and asked if I could please come with him as he needed my help. As we headed back towards Bluebell, he explained that he was far behind in his chores—Ash had been helping, but things had been extra busy at his farm recently so he hadn't had much time to spare. Could I please help him out by taking each of the horses for a gallop for exercise and then brushing them? He'd appreciate it so much.

I agreed, and we returned to his barn. He had a half dozen horses at the time, so starting with Cowboy, the gelding Cam usually borrowed, I saddled each of them up and galloped around his field a few times. Then once I was done with that, I brushed each one. After I had finished, he thanked me and asked if I could keep my eyes open for some moonflowers for him—he needed them for some medicinal recipe.

I agreed and again started up the mountain path, foraging as I slowly strolled along. I found a couple of the brilliant golden lilies as well as a variety of other wildflowers, herbs, and mushrooms. By the time I was crossing the bridge past the waterfall, it was late afternoon. I still needed to shower, dress, and hurry off to meet the girls for the picnic. I was feeling tired, but I hurried to get there in good time. As I headed down towards the shallows, Rahi came running up, asking if I could hurry back to Konohana with him. He needed something right away, and his mom was not around to help him. I hurried back to town, helped him reach down a few things that he needed from the topmost shelves in their apartment above the town hall, then headed back to my farm to shower.

I threw on my bikini, then pulled on cut off jeans shorts and grabbed a cardigan, in case it got too cool later on. I slipped into a pair of sandals, packed my towel and some sunscreen into my tote bag, and headed off. The girls had assured me that as it was my birthday, I didn't need to bring anything but myself.

I hurried up the path towards the river shallows where we were to meet. I was afraid I'd be late, but when I arrived, no one was there. I paced around for a minute, wondering if my timing was off or if they'd gone on ahead. Or maybe I'd misremembered where we were supposed to meet? I couldn't see any sign of them, whatever the reason. I stopped in the path, uncertain what to do.

Suddenly, people jumped out from behind trees or bushes all around me, making me nearly jump out of my skin. "Surprise!" everyone shouted as with one voice. I nearly keeled over, but quick-thinking Dirk leapt to catch me before I could fall.

Leaning on him for support, I looked around in stunned amazement—everyone from both villages was gathered there by the river. How could I have failed to notice them? I'd just been through there not that long ago and saw no sign of anybody—then I remembered how Rahi had rushed me through the river area, distracting me with his chatter as we hurried. I grinned, then giggled, and finally began to laugh, collapsing helplessly against Dirk as everyone else joined in. Finally catching my breath, I looked around, saying, "Well! You all certainly did surprise me! And here I've been wondering all day where everyone had vanished to!"

Ina and Rutger strolled over, still chuckling, and Ina said, "Well, you know, you are a little unique in that you are a citizen of both villages. And you've befriended everyone—and I do mean _everyone_—in both Bluebell and Konohana. So we decided that as we all wanted to celebrate your birthday with you, that we'd join forces and throw a big surprise party for you!"

With a smile, Rutger added, "Laney, Georgia, and Eileen offered to make plans for tonight with you, to keep you from making plans of your own." I looked around in surprise, then saw the three girls waving at me, laughing, from the bamboo grove just up the hill. I laughed again, shaking my head. They'd certainly fooled me! "Yun and Howard have set up tables of food up in the grove there, and Sheng has been setting up some stereo system or another." He gave an ear-splitting whistle, and everyone gathered around. "Okay, people! We're all here to celebrate Alice's birthday! So let's get down to the business of having a good time!" Everyone cheered loudly, and Ina broke in, saying, "Okay, now let's all sing! On the count of three. One… two… three!" And everyone shouted in a slightly discordant chorus, singing "Happy Birthday" loudly to me.

The next moment, I found myself caught up in an embrace from Ina, followed by Rutger and Dirk, then Cam and Mikhail, and then Laney, continuing on until I'd been passed around for everyone to hug. Afterwards, I collapsed on the ground, laughing as I looked up at Cam and Mikhail, who stood next to me, grinning. I looked around, seeing that some people were sitting around chatting in small groups, others were swimming in the river, still others were starting up games of various sorts, and up the hill, I could see more people coming and going where the food was set up. I sighed, then took the hands that both men offered and let them pull me back up to my feet.

"What would you like to do first?" Cam asked as the three of us strolled along the path by the river.

"Well," I slowly replied, "in spite of a shower, I still feel kind of hot and dusty. So I think I'd really like to go for a swim." I looked at the two of them dubiously, adding, "I don't suppose the two of you brought your swimsuits?"

Both shook their heads no, but Cam quickly added, "But you go right on ahead. Don't let us stop you." I hesitated for a moment, then decided that the river looked just too deliciously cool as it sparkled in the afternoon sun. So I nodded, stripped my shorts off, and kicked off my sandals, leaving my things with my tote on the bank next to the men, who sat down to watch me.

I waded through the shallows to the deeper part of the river, slipped down and pushed off, swimming downstream with the lazy current, going around the bend and out of their sight. Reaching an area where the river again grew wide and shallow, I rolled onto my back and floated, eyes half closed against the sun, until the current bumped me into the shallows on the far side of the river where the water wasn't deep enough even for floating. I turned and swam back, angled both up and across the stream, until I was near the bank where the two men sat awaiting my return. I stood up, the water deep enough that it was just above my bust line. I ducked down, swam a little farther underwater, and then rose back up out of the water just a few yards away from them. I waded back out of the water and up to them, flipping my hair out of my face as I walked. I pulled out my towel and dried off, gently squeezing the water from my hair before spreading the towel on the grass between the two men and lying down on my back to finish drying as I soaked up the warm sun.

As I lay there sunning myself, the three of us chatted about the upcoming summer: festivals, work plans, opportunities for recreation, and the flora and fauna we might find on the mountain during the summer months. Cam asked about my experiences with bears and other wild animals, the bear story from the girls' night out camping trip having become all but legendary. He shook his head after my story, unable to comprehend a desire to befriend wild animals—he loved cats, but he could take or leave most other animals, and was nervous around large animals, wild or domestic.

Mikhail contributed some of his own experiences with wild animals. He described playing music with the birds, and I related my own experience with improvisation. Mikhail turned to Cam, and asked if he played an instrument. Cam looked away for a minute, then replied, "I guess, sort of. My mother used to give me both flute and guitar lessons. She loved music," he added softly. I sat up and gently rubbed his back, knowing how much he still missed his family.

After a few minutes of silence, I stood up, and pulling my shorts back on, said, "Well, I don't know about you two, but I've hardly eaten anything today and I'm starving!" Then as if to prove my statement, my stomach suddenly growled quite audibly, eliciting grins from my companions. "Well, then," Mikhail said with a laugh as they rose to their feet, "by all means, let us go find you something to eat!" Leaving my towel and tote on the river bank, we headed up the hill to the bamboo grove where the food was set out.

Yun, Howard, Rose, and Hiro had apparently done most of the cooking, except that Laney made the massive cake that formed the centerpiece of the dessert table, as well as most of the other confections. It was quite a spread, and we heaped our plates full before returning to our spot by the river. We sat and ate and drank and talked, and just as we were finishing, Rutger again let out with a piercing whistle, calling us all to gather around the cake. It was two tiers high, iced with white icing and beautifully decorated with icing flowers. On the top, she had written "Happy 24th Birthday, Alice" and twenty-four candles were placed amongst the writing.

Rutger waved me forward, then he lit the candles and instructed me to make a wish and blow them out. I didn't need to think twice about my wish, as it was the one thing foremost on my mind these days. I blew all the candles out in one great puff of air. Everyone cheered, and a few begged me to tell my wish, although I steadfastly refused. Laney and Howard cut up the cake while Hiro and Nori passed the slices around. We ate our cake gathered together in the bamboo grove, then again dispersed into small groups. Cam, Mikhail, and I started back towards the river, when Ina called to Mikhail and waved him over. Seizing the opportunity thus presented to him, Cam pulled me a little farther up the path and off into a secluded clearing near the bridge.

"I haven't had a chance to wish you a happy birthday, Alice," he said softly, pulling me closer to him, "or to give you this." And then he handed me a small package.

I looked curiously at him, then opened it. Inside the layers of tissue paper lay a rose pendant, delicately carved from some soft red stone, possibly jasper, slipped onto a slender gold chain. I gasped at its perfection, amazed by the detailed work. I looked up at him, astonished by such a lovely gift. "Cam, I… I don't know what to say! It's so beautiful!"

He took it from me and slipped it around my neck, carefully fastening it in back. He smiled at me, saying, "I'm glad you like it. It isn't half as beautiful as you, though."

He leaned down for a kiss, and wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled him closer to me, drawing us firmly together. He backed into the birch tree behind him, then slid down to the ground, pulling me with him, his back against the tree trunk. I sat straddling his lap, kissing him with my arms still around him, feeling infused with a sudden heat from within. He gently stroked his hands up and down my back, slowly moving farther and farther down over my shorts until he held me by my hips, pulling me closer to him with an intensity of passion that was usually far more subdued in him. Without breaking our kiss, I leaned back slightly, one hand braced against the tree trunk for support as I ran the other through his hair, over his shoulder, and down his torso, reaching up under his shirt to run my fingertips over his smooth chest, tracing circles on his skin. A soft groan escaped his lips, and he began to kiss my face, my throat, my shoulders, and finally down my chest to my bikini-clad cleavage. Rubbing his cheek against the softness of my skin, he had just reached a tentative hand up to my breast when suddenly an angry voice behind me exclaimed, "What the hell is going on here?"

Alarmed by the sudden intrusion, my heart racing, I jumped up and whirled around. I found myself facing Mikhail, his face white with fury as he glared at Cam. I sank back down to the ground next to the beech tree, shaking from the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Cam slowly rose to his feet, calm in the face of Mikhail's outrage.

"I thought we had an agreement," Mikhail hissed between clenched teeth.

"And so we do," Cam replied, looking bewildered.

"And I understood that as a part of that agreement, neither of us would do anything with Alice that we didn't care for the other doing with her, either."

"Yes," Cam agreed, "that's right. So…?"

Mikhail narrowed his eyes, snapping, "Do you mean to tell me in all seriousness that you'd be fine with me kissing and pawing at her the way you just were?"

Cam shrugged, saying evenly, "I wouldn't love it, naturally. But Alice's body is her own to do whatever she pleases with it—and with whomever she pleases. If she chooses to kiss you, that's her decision and I won't begrudge her that choice. Even if she asked you to go for a roll in the hay, while I wouldn't be thrilled at her doing that sort of thing with someone other than me, still, it's her body and her decision. So yes, anything she chooses to do with you is fine with me, in that it's _her_ choice to make, not mine."

Mikhail snorted disbelievingly, then said, "So you expect me to believe that you're fine with _this_?"

He grabbed my hands and hauled me roughly to my feet, kissing me with all the pent-up frustration not just of the past few months, but of the past several years, forcing my lips apart with his tongue and roughly probing my mouth before I finally recovered enough from the shock to push him back, exclaiming "Mikhail!" reproachfully.

Ignoring me completely, he looked again at Cam, saying, "And what about this? Tell me just how 'fine' you are with _this_!" as he pulled me back to him again, biting hungrily at my neck as he gripped my lower back tightly with one hand and roughly grabbed a breast with the other as he nipped his way down to the tender flesh just above my bikini top.

Crying out in pain and anger, I jerked free and slapped him hard across the face, just as Cam dove at him, hauling back and punching him, yelling, "She isn't willing, you idiot! Leave her alone!"

Mikhail pushed him back, and as he prepared to spring at Cam with his cat-like reflexes, I planted myself firmly between them, screaming with all my might, "_STOP IT!_"

As my voice echoed across the valley, both men turned startled faces to me. I was furious, and my cheeks were hot with anger and humiliation and wet with tears of rage. I glared at both of them, shouting, "Stop it right now! Stop fighting over me like I'm a toy!"

Stunned, they both relaxed their defenses, protesting that they didn't think of me that way at all. I cut them off with an enraged glare, saying, "Laney was right. I _do_ need a break from 'those crazy boys'. So now I'm going to take one. I don't want to see either one of you, do you hear me? Not until I say I'm ready. Just leave me alone!" And with that, I turned and ran swiftly down the hill, pausing only to grab my tote bag and towel and ignoring the startled looks of the villagers who'd begun to rush up the path in response to my screams.

Cam and Mikhail were both fast, but I was faster by far, accustomed as I was to running all over the mountain. I fled as fast as my feet would carry me to my farmhouse, slamming and locking the door behind me and drawing all the curtains tightly closed. I peeled off my shorts and swimsuit, still shaking from the reaction to the evening's events, took off Cam's necklace and flung it angrily into a small dish on my dresser, put on pajamas, and slipped into bed, ignoring all the knocking and voices at my door for the rest of the night.

"_So much for my birthday party,"_ I thought with some bitterness as I buried my head under the blankets to muffle the sounds from outside. Finally as it grew dark outside, the knocking became less and less frequent, finally ceasing all together, and at long last I slept.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	31. Chapter 30

I awoke the next morning with a pounding headache. Distracted by the pain, it took me a few minutes to recall the events of the night before. Feeling anger wash over me again, I stomped around my house, getting dressed and making a large cup of tea with which to wash down some aspirin. I opted for just a piece of toast in lieu of a real breakfast, and stepped outside onto my porch to eat it and finish my tea.

To my surprise, when I opened the door, Cam and Mikhail both lay stretched out head to head on my porch, with only their jackets to cover them. Startled by the sight but still too irate for words, I stepped right over them and strode towards my barn, determined to ignore them. My heavy footsteps woke them, and soon they were groggily calling to me. They chased after me and followed me around as I tended my animals and crops, still stonily ignoring them. When I headed back to the house, they were still following me, pleading with me to listen to them. At my porch steps, I whirled around, facing them furiously, and said, "Didn't you two hear me last night? Get lost! I don't want to see you, I don't want to talk to you, I don't want to have anything to do with either one of you right now! Leave me alone!" Then I stormed into my house and slammed the door so hard the house shook, bolting it firmly behind me. I ignored their pleas as I went to shower and change my clothes.

By the time I left the house again, they had apparently given up. I walked into town, checked the board, and visited with the villagers. Nearly everyone I spoke with was consumed with curiosity about what had happened the night before, but I only told Kana and Georgia about it. The others I told just that I didn't want to talk about it, and they politely dropped the subject.

I passed through the tunnel, greeting one or two villagers along the way, and headed straight for the Bluebell message board. I noticed that although it was Saturday, Cam's shop was closed. I just mentally shrugged and went about my rounds. When I stopped in at the café to greet Howard and Laney, Cam stepped hesitantly out from his room. I pulled Laney aside and asked if she had time to talk, totally ignoring Cam. She agreed, and we walked over to Eileen's.

Once there, I unloaded the whole story to them, explaining that I'd decided that I really _did_ need a break from the guys, which is why I was ignoring Cam. I was ignoring Mikhail just as hard, if not even more so, I assured them, as I was still infuriated by his outrageous behavior. "At least Cam came to my defense," I said, "though I'm angry with both of them."

The two women shook their heads, and Eileen said, "Well, maybe now they will finally get it into their heads that they need to just back off a little. I'm glad to see you stand up for yourself, anyway."

Laney nodded agreement, then added, "Only… don't be _too_ hard on Cam. After all, like you said, he did try to come to your defense. And he's just crushed. He didn't even go to work today."

I sighed, and said, "Yeah, I know. They were both asleep on my porch when I went to do my chores this morning, and they followed me around like lost puppies until I finally couldn't take it anymore and told them to get lost. I don't want to be mean, really I don't. But oh, how I need a break from all this! If they don't leave me alone, I'll have to go away for a while. And then I'm not sure what I'd do with my farm while I was gone. It's not like I can just hire a farm-sitter."

I leaned back in my chair with a deep sigh. "I guess I'll have to have another talk with them, try to get them to back off and give me a break for a while. I don't know if it will work," I added, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "I feel like I've talked until I'm blue in the face, but I don't know if they hear what I'm saying. Still," I said as I stood up, "nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right? Anyway, thanks for listening. I haven't told many people about what happened. I… I just get so tired and angry all over again when I talk about it. So besides you two, I've only told Georgia and Kana. I guess I don't mind if you all want to talk about it with the other villagers. It's not that I don't want people to know what happened so much as that I just don't feel much like talking about it yet. But I wanted my closest friends to know what really happened." Then I looked at Laney with a curious look, "Though maybe you already knew about it from Cam?"

She shook her head, saying, "No, not really. He didn't come home at all last night, and when he did finally drag in a while ago, he looked like his world was just falling apart. He wouldn't talk to me at all, though, which is unusual for him—usually he wants to talk with me when he's upset. So he must be _really_ upset."

With another sigh, I said, "Well, I guess I'd better go talk to him. I think I'll also talk to the two of them together. I've just got to get them to understand that I need a break. I was so hopeful when they said they'd agreed on a truce… but it didn't last very long, did it?" The two women gave me a hug, and then I walked back to the café to find Cam.

I found him in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, clutching his head. He didn't look up when I walked in, but he mumbled, "I said don't want to talk about it, Laney. Please just leave me alone."

I sat down next to him and said, "_You_ might not want to talk, but _I_ do." He looked up, startled, then watched me worriedly as I stood up again. "Can you come with me for a while? I want to talk to you somewhere alone, and I also want to talk to you and Mikhail together." He stood up and nodded, then followed me as I went out of the room.

We walked in silence back to my farmhouse. I let him in, then sat down at my table, gesturing for him to take the seat opposite to me. He sat down, still wordless, and just looked at his hands in his lap and waited. Feeling my headache returning, I stood back up and went to my kitchen to grab some aspirin. "Want anything to drink? Lemonade? Iced tea?" I asked, turning back to look at him.

He hesitated for a minute, then said in a barely audible voice, "Tea, please."

I poured two glasses of iced tea, swallowed a couple of aspirin, and returned to the table. I handed a glass to Cam and took a long sip of my tea, then looking at him, I said, "Listen, Cam. I'm not _really_ mad at you." He looked up at me in surprise, opening his mouth as if to speak, then closing it again. "I'm mad about what happened, more than at either of you. But… mostly I'm tired of being treated like an object. I know, you aren't nearly as bad as Mikhail about that. But I felt like you were intentionally provoking him last night, which made things go much farther than they ever should have. Mikhail is very… brittle… emotionally. He's temperamental and doesn't have the best self control. He tries, but it's definitely a struggle for him. But that's beside the point. The point is that I just can't take much more of this. I need a rest. I was so hopeful when you two agreed to a truce… but I guess that's over with now." Cam hung his head and slowly nodded. "So now I'm asking you… please, give me a little space for a while. I can't just up and leave because of my farm, or else I would go somewhere else for a while. But since I can't, I need you—both of you—to just leave me alone for now. I don't mean you can't talk to me at all or that you have to run the other way if you see me coming. But for now… no romancing, no dates, no kissing or gifts or anything like that. Try to treat me as you would any other villager. And most importantly of all, stay away from Mikhail."

He looked at me sadly, then looked down again as he nodded, saying in a low voice, "If that's what you want."

"More to the point," I replied, "it's what I need." I stood up, saying, "I'm going to go talk to Mikhail, then I'm going to bring him back here so the three of us can talk. Will you wait here for me to return?" Cam nodded, so I headed out the door, calling back, "Help yourself to the fridge. I don't think I'll be gone very long, unless I have trouble finding him."

I walked over to the town hall, wondering if Mikhail would be in his room, or if he would have gone up mountain as usual. I knocked on his door and after a moment, pushed it open. He was sitting there on a sofa, in pretty much the same position I'd found Cam. He looked up tiredly when I stepped in, the irritation on his face giving way to surprise. He jumped up, saying, "Alice? But I… I thought you didn't want to see me again?"

Walking over to him, I said, "We need to talk, Mikhail." I sat down on the sofa, pulling him down next to me, and again explained about needing a break from the two of them.

When I was finished, he looked away, and with a sigh, he said, "I suppose I can't blame you. I was so angry… I hardly knew what I was doing. I… I keep behaving poorly, and despite my intentions to improve, the next time I see you with him, I forget all my resolutions and lose it all over again. I expect that my apologies are getting to be as meaningless as they are repetitive, but I do sincerely apologize for my actions."

I nodded, then I rose and said, "Mikhail, I'd like to talk with both of you together. I don't know that it will do any good, sometimes it seems like nothing I say is getting through. But…."

He looked up at me thoughtfully, then nodded and rose. "All right. I don't know if it will be helpful or harmful to put the three of us in the same room so soon after last night. But I'm willing to try, since you wish it. And… I will try to control myself."

I returned to my home, Mikhail following in silence. Cam was still sitting where I had left him, staring out a window as if lost in thought. He started when we walked in, and turned to look at us. He gave me a slightly apprehensive look, then when Mikhail entered the room behind me, he gave him a brief glance before looking away—although very brief, I saw that the look that passed between them was charged with anger and antipathy.

With a sigh, I indicated that Mikhail should sit in the chair opposite Cam, and I sat down at the end of the table. After a moment of silence while I tried to collect my thoughts, I looked up to see both men watching me. "So, I've talked to you both now, and told you that I need to have a break from you—_both_ of you. I told you that last night, only to have you both follow me home, sleep on my porch, and follow me around while I was trying to work this morning. So I'm asking you again. Please back off from me and give me some space. I need some time away from you both. I'd rather be able to maintain normal, friendly relations in the meantime as much as possible—I don't want to have to avoid your shop, Cam, or to avoid both of you at festivals. But if you can't—or won't—leave me alone, I'll have to go away for a while. I don't know what I'd do with my farm in the meantime if it came to that… maybe have my brother come out and take care of things for me, if he could. I don't know. But I know I can't keep on like this. I can't stand feeling like some juicy bone that two dogs are fighting over. I'm caught between the two of you, and I feel like I'm being pulled to bits in a tug-of-war. Sometimes I wonder if I even matter at this point, or if your mutual hostility has superseded any affection you might have for me."

Mikhail stood up, paced towards the living room and back, then stood before me, shaking with suppressed emotion. "I loved you first, remember that. I've loved you since I was thirteen, since that day I first saw you in Emil's study. There was a time when you _knew_ that we belonged together—that we were made for each other. You _knew_ that—until _he_ came along," he said, turning to glare at Cam.

Cam leaned back in his chair, returning his glare, and replied, "You might recall that _you_ left _her_. You just walked out of her life, leaving her alone for years without so much as a word from you, not even giving her the benefit of the doubt. Don't you realize how much she was hurting all that time? You lost any claim you might possibly have had on her, and if she _chooses_ to allow you back into her life, it's because that's what she has decided she wants, not because of some imaginary claim of auld lang syne you think you have on her. Furthermore, if she chooses _me_, you have no say in the matter. The choice is hers and hers alone."

Mikhail narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth as if to speak, but thoroughly fed up, I sprang to my feet, slammed my hands down on the table, and shouted, "Stop it! Both of you! Stop fighting like this! It doesn't solve anything—I'm not a trophy! Either the two of you leave me alone and stay away from each other until I say that I'm ready to talk again, or I swear I will just pack up and leave you both, farm or no farm!" I stood glaring from one to the other, trembling with anger.

Mikhail sank back into his seat, hanging his head. Cam flushed and looked away, then down at his hands again. "That's better," I said. "Now will you do that? Both of you?" Cam hesitated a moment, then looked at me and nodded, his eyes full of mute misery. I looked at Mikhail, and after a moment, I said, "Well, Mikhail? Will you?" Refusing to look at either me or Cam, he curtly nodded once, then stood up and without a word, stalked out of the house.

My face flushed with aggravation at his reaction, I started to go after him, but Cam reached out a tentative hand to stop me. "Let him go, Alice," he said quietly. "It's… I'm sure this isn't easy for him. I know it's not for me." Then he, too, rose and left.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	32. Chapter 31

**AN:** A hint of lime in this chapter. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, there's still a fair ways to go before the end! Any feedback is very welcome, thanks for reading!

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><p>The next several days passed relatively peacefully. I missed my daily interactions with Cam and Mikhail, but I was relieved that they were leaving me alone for now. I said hello or waved to them when I saw them in passing, but I didn't seek out the companionship of either. Mikhail didn't come to the crop festival, so I didn't need to worry about being thrown together with him there. And I kept my floral purchases to a minimum.<p>

A week after my birthday was the last cooking festival of the season—the first time all three of us had been to a festival together since that day. Cam wasn't one of the participants for Bluebell, opting instead to cheer for his village's team—though admittedly he didn't look as though he was overflowing with team spirit. Mikhail appeared on Konohana's side, but like Cam, he remained fairly quiet throughout the competition. I had made a honey pudding to enter; my teammates were Nori, who brought some almond tofu, and Hiro, who brought strawberry rice candy. The judge, Pierre, raved about my pudding when he tasted it, and Konohana won the competition.

Afterwards, when everyone split up into little groups to talk and sip tea, I found myself chatting with Dirk, Kana, and Georgia. I spotted Mikhail a ways off, looking daggers at Dirk, who seemed oblivious to Mikhail's hostile glares. Cam likewise stood some distance away, with Ash and Cheryl. I saw him look over in my direction once or twice but didn't acknowledge his glances as they didn't seem to be directed to me any more than Mikhail's were. When I decided to head for home, Dirk offered to walk with me, and as I'd been enjoying his company, I accepted.

As we walked, he looked at me curiously, and asked if I had any idea why both Mikhail and Cam had been glowering at him all afternoon but hadn't come over to talk to me even once. I sighed and explained, saying, "Well, basically things were getting to be too much with those two fighting all the time. So I told them to leave me alone—for a while, anyway—and to stay away from each other. So that's what they're doing… for now. I guess they were just a little jealous that I was talking with you."

Dirk looked enlightened, and grinned at me, saying, "Wow, they must like you a lot to actually do what you asked in spite of wanting to strangle each other!" I laughed and agreed that it did seem that way. Then we reached the town gates, and he went into his house while I continued on to mine.

A couple of days later was the last day of spring—the day I needed to harvest any spring crops still standing in the fields as well as prepare the fields for the summer crops. I ate a quick but hearty breakfast of a mushroom and herbed cheese omelet, toast, juice, and tea, dressed in my work clothes, pulled on my boots, and was just about to head out the door when someone knocked. I scowled when I opened it and found Mikhail standing on my porch.

"Mikhail… " I started in a tired voice, but he held up a hand to stop me.

"I'm just stopping by to… to say goodbye," he said, looking at me and then quickly away.

"Goodbye?" I repeated, bewildered.

He looked at me again and nodded. "I… I just can't stay away from you. So if I'm to give you your space, I have to leave. I don't do well in hot climates anyway, so that is the excuse I'm using—that I need to find a more amenable clime. I plan to return in the fall. Maybe by then…." he trailed off.

I looked away into the distance for a minute, then looked back at him, saying slowly, "You know, I can't promise… "

"I know," he interrupted. "I'm not asking you to promise me anything. I'm not even asking you to wait until I return before making any decisions. But I think I have to go, for a while at least. And if you choose… if you choose someone else in my absence, I will do my best to accept your decision gracefully." He looked down for a minute, then looked back up at me and took my hands in his. "Whatever happens, however it may seem that I feel, I do honestly wish you the greatest happiness. Even if I end up not being a part of that happiness." He leaned forward and gave me a gentle kiss, then quickly turned, saying, "So farewell for now, my beloved Alice. I will see you in the fall, when the weather grows cooler." And with that, he walked swiftly away, not looking back to see me watching him leave.

It felt strangely empty to have Mikhail gone. He'd told everyone that he was seeking a cooler place to escape the oppressive heat and humidity for the summer, just as he'd said. I was the only one that knew the real reason for his sudden departure, though I think a few of my closest friends—including Cam—suspected the truth.

With Mikhail no longer an issue, I didn't see any need to keep shutting Cam out. After all, Mikhail had been the greater problem. Even if he could be a little provocative from time to time, Cam had been far more a gentleman than his rival. So I decided that I'd meet up with him, to fill him in on Mikhail's departure and let him know that he was off the hook.

The first day of summer was, of course, too busy for any social activities, and besides, it fell on a Monday when Cam was out of town anyway. Tuesday also was very busy, but I managed to find time to stop by Cam's shop to pick up some flower seeds. After I made my purchase, I told him I'd like to see him Friday, since Thursday was a festival day. He looked startled, but merely nodded agreement as another customer approached his stall.

I also got in touch with Eileen to discuss having her help me to expand my farm. The next day she came over and we cleared out a section of the woods that had sprung up in the former fields. I spent the rest of the day tilling and planting my new fields, and by bedtime, I was completely exhausted.

Friday I awoke to the pattering of rain on my roof. I quickly checked the forecast, which said it would be rainy all day. I sighed—when it rained all day, all the shops remained closed all day. Business was just too slow on rainy days—it wasn't worth the expense of staying open. Cam was the only exception, probably because he ran an open-air stall rather than a storefront and so had fewer operational expenses. But he wouldn't be open anyway as it was his day off. _"At least,"_ I thought to myself, _"I don't have to worry about watering my crops today."_

I tended to my animals, spreading fodder in the manger and scattering grain for the hens since they couldn't go outside to graze and forage in the rain. I finished up with my animals, then still in my work clothes, I went and checked the message board and stopped by to say hi to a few people. I returned home, showered and changed. Although it was rainy, it was still quite warm, so I put on a floral camisole top, short denim skirt, denim jacket, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat before heading over to Bluebell.

I did my rounds there, then went to look for Cam. He wasn't at home, so I went looking over by the river, as he often could be found there on his days off. Sure enough, there he was, standing under an umbrella, watching the fish darting around, excited by the drops of rain hitting the water. He looked up as I walked over to him, looking a little apprehensive.

"Hey," I said, stopping in front of him.

"Oh, uhh… hi," he replied nervously.

"So can we go somewhere? You know, to talk?"

"Yeah… sure. Where… ?"

"Well, it's maybe a little wet for hanging around outside. Especially since I know you really don't care much for the rain. So… we could go to my house? Or if you'd rather… we could go… " I paused, trying to think of an alternative shelter.

"Your place is fine," Cam interrupted.

"Okay," I said, holding out my hand. "I think we have a lot to discuss. I'll make you dinner, too, okay?" He nodded, taking my hand in his, and we walked back towards town, through the tunnel, and on to my house.

Before we made it home, though, the rain turned into a heavy rainstorm. By the time we dashed in the front door, we were both soaked by the driving rain, despite Cam's umbrella. I dug through my grandparents' old clothing that I'd washed and stored upon moving in, and found him a robe and a pair of boxers that looked as though they would fit. I sent him off to shower while I spread his clothing out on the porch to air dry. I also wiped the mud from his shoes and my boots and set them to dry on the porch, too.

I made some tea and sipped a cup sitting on the porch, to keep from dripping more water onto my floors. When Cam came out of the bathroom, wrapped in the old flannel robe and toweling his shoulder-length hair dry, I poured a cup of tea for him and told him to make himself at home while I showered. I grabbed my kimono and headed off to the bathroom. I giggled silently to myself, imagining Cam trying to find soap and shampoo that didn't smell _too_ feminine among my collection of toiletries. Then it occurred to me with a smile that Cam was secure enough that he probably wouldn't care if he _did_ smell like a girl.

When I undressed, I found that even my bra and underwear had been thoroughly soaked in the deluge. I showered and toweled my hair before wrapping my kimono around myself. I gathered up my wet clothing and stepped out of the bathroom, heading out to my porch to spread my clothing alongside Cam's. Returning inside, I found Cam sitting on the sofa, sipping his tea as he flipped slowly through a slender volume of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. "Ready for a refill?" I asked, pausing on my way to the kitchen. He looked up and glanced at his mug before shaking his head.

I poured another cup of tea and joined him on the sofa. Taking a sip of the hot tea as I settled down comfortably into the cushions, I mused, "Well, if nothing else, it's hard to be mad at someone when you're sitting together on a sofa, nearly naked."

He choked a little on his tea, then blushed furiously, trying to keep his eyes from straying to my kimono. "Umm… do you… are you… "

"Afraid so. I was soaked to the bone, so all I had to put on was this kimono. Everything I had on earlier is spread out on the porch, drying. Does that bother you?" I asked him curiously as I took another sip.

"Oh!" he replied. "Well, no… not bother exactly. Just… "

"If you're uncomfortable, I can go change," I offered.

"No, it's fine. I was… I was just taken by surprise, that's all," he said, regaining his composure.

I set my mug down and turned slightly to face him. "So. You know that Mikhail left, don't you?" Cam looked away and nodded. "He's told everyone that it's because he hates the heat, but you probably guessed that wasn't the real reason."

He looked at me again, saying, "I… did wonder. I wasn't sure, though. Is he coming back?" I nodded, replying, "Yes, he said he'd be back in the fall. I warned him that I couldn't promise him anything. He… understood." I picked up Cam's free hand in mine and looked him in the eyes. "I haven't been very fair to you lately. Really, I know Mikhail was more of a problem than you. But I couldn't see you and not him, and I couldn't have the two of you anywhere near each other anymore. So it seemed best to just… take a break from it all." I sighed, looking off into space. "I guess as much as I hate having Mikhail gone, this month will be helpful. Having him away from me for a while should let me find out if absence makes my heart grow fonder—or makes it forgetful. I think, too, that I have to think not so much about whether I love one of you more than the other—because apparently I don't—but rather with whom I'd be happier and whom I'd make happier. I… _think_ I already know the answer to that question. But I… I want to wait a little longer. I want to be sure…."

Cam set his mug down and held out his arms to me. I scooted up closer, resting my head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around me. "I want you to take as long as you need," he murmured into my hair. "I want you to be sure, whatever you decide. A few more weeks, or months, or even longer if you need it, is well worth a lifetime of happiness."

I exhaled a sigh of relief, nestling closer into his embrace. We sat that way for who knows how long, until I finally remembered I'd promised Cam dinner. I jumped up, exclaiming, "Oh! It's getting late! I'd better get to work on dinner."

Before I could head off to the kitchen, however, Cam grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to the sofa. "Wait. I need to know… does this mean that we're back on? I mean, am I still supposed to be avoiding you and giving you space? Or… " he said, looking a little bewildered.

I looked at him for a moment, then moving closer, I held his face in my hands and leaned in to kiss him tenderly. After a minute, I pulled back and asked, "Does that answer your question?" Smiling, he nodded, then lifted me up in his arms and pulled me onto his lap, returning my kiss as I placed my arms around his neck.

We sat kissing, one of his arms around my shoulders, supporting me. His free hand gently stroked my calf, sliding down to my foot. He gently rubbed his thumb against the instep of my foot for a minute, then slid his hand back up along my calf, caressed my knee, and slid up along my thigh, under my kimono, and to my hip. When he reached my hip, he suddenly made a muffled sound and pulled back. I looked at him, surprised to see him blushing. "I… I forgot that you…."

Realizing the cause of his discomfiture, I smiled, saying, "You forgot I wasn't wearing anything but the kimono?" He nodded, turning even more red. I thought for a minute, then took his hand and placed it back on my thigh as I leaned back into his supporting arm. "It's okay, Cam," I whispered into his ear. "Only… only no more than just touching, okay?" He nodded, and leaned down to kiss me again.

After a moment, he tentatively slipped his hand back up my thigh, curiosity apparently outweighing any nervousness he felt. He gently stroked my thigh, then moved lightly over my hip, exploring the curves and hollows of my hip and belly. He gently ran his fingers along my side, feeling my ribcage, then down my spine and back to my abdomen. With some hesitation and with exquisite delicacy, he slowly slid his fingers along the inner curve of my ribcage until he reached my breasts. Gingerly, he traced around the roundness of my breast, then gently cupped his hand around it, stroking the soft skin with his thumb. I gasped and shivered a little, feeling a sudden flush of heat rising in me at his touch. As his kisses intensified, his touch became a little more assured, exploring the supple fullness of my breasts, the stiffened tips of my nipples. He began to kiss me along my jawbone to my throat, then down my neck to the little hollow at the base of my throat. Then sliding the opening of my kimono to the side, he kissed slowly, lingeringly, down to my breast, finally kissing the point of my nipple, caressing it softly with his lips. A little moan escaped my lips as my skin began to tingle deliciously all over and a hot tightness began to form deep down in my core.

I knew then we needed to stop, or things would quickly get out of control. So I sat up, pushing Cam gently off and pulling my kimono back into place. I snuggled up to him, resting my head on his chest with my arms around his neck. "I think we'd better hold it right there," I murmured. "Otherwise… well, I fear my virginity may be in danger at this rate."

He looked startled for a moment, then said, "You mean, you… "

It was my turn to look surprised. "Well, yes—what did you think? If I wasn't, wouldn't I have let both of you go farther with me by now?"

Cam shrugged, saying, "I don't know. Maybe? I never thought too much about it. I guess I just assumed that having been in a relationship with Mikhail for a few years…."

"No, I wouldn't have then, nor have I ever," I explained. "I watched many of my friends just toss their virginity aside without a second thought, only to find out that all the guys wanted from them was sex—and more often than not, as soon as they got it, they moved on to the next girl. I saw too many hearts get broken. I decided that if I was worth having, I was worth waiting for. So I promised myself that I'd stay a virgin until my wedding night, and I mean to keep that promise."

Cam nodded, saying, "Ahh, I see. Well, that explains why you never wanted to go very far. Not that I'm saying that I expected you to or that you should have!" he added hastily. "I've said all along that it's your body, and your decision what to do, when to do it, and with whom."

I gave him a kiss and leaned against him for a minute, then I rose, pulling him with me. "Come on," I said, "let's get some dinner! How about I make a risotto?"

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	33. Chapter 32

The summer days passed peacefully: hot, humid days and balmy nights, picnics, horseback riding, hiking, and fishing. On the evening of Bluebell's Flower Festival, Cam came to visit and surprised me with a cluster of beautiful lavender roses. I breathed deeply of their sweet fragrance, and said with a smile as I led him into the living room, "Thank you, Cam! That's so sweet of you! 'Enchantment'?" I asked, trying to recall the meaning of the velvety blooms.

He looked into my eyes and said, "They have another meaning, too: 'Love at first sight'."

I looked down at the flowers shyly, feeling my cheeks grow hot, and asked, "Really? Did you _really_ fall in love with me at first sight? I… didn't know that. You… you hid it well."

"I couldn't help falling in love with you when I first saw you," he replied as he sat on the sofa. I sat next to him as he went on, "I remember I'd been lost in thought—thinking of the past—and suddenly you were standing there, all shining and golden in the sunlight, and I felt like I was slowly sinking into billows of storm-blue velvet when I first looked into your eyes. I'm sorry if I seemed cold… I was in a bit of shock and could hardly even think, let alone talk. And I didn't feel ready to let anyone in yet—I was still hurting from the last time I'd been in love, even though that had been years before. I didn't think I'd ever love _anyone_ again… until I met you."

I tucked my arm into his and leaned my head on his shoulder, thinking about the day we met. After a few minutes, I looked up at him and asked, hesitantly, "So… that girl… the one you once mentioned. What… what was her name? What was she like?"

He sat silently for a moment, then sighed and leaned back, putting his arm around my shoulders to draw me nearer to him. "Her name was Nadia," he began, his eyes gazing into the distance as he lost himself in memories. "She was beautiful: long, inky black curls, very fair skin, and eyes the color of violets. She wasn't from around here—her family was wealthy and came from away off south somewhere. Her older sister was in poor health, and the doctors had told her parents to take her to some quiet place in the mountains where she could rest and recuperate. They rented Eileen's house while she was away for some particular course in carpentry she wanted to take. I was eighteen at the time; my parents had died just the previous winter, and I felt very much alone without my family."

He paused, sighing at the memory of his loss, then continued. "Nadia was sixteen. She was strong-willed, but she seemed kind-hearted. I remember watching her the day her family arrived… I'd never seen anyone so… so exquisitely beautiful. She called out something to the carter as he unloaded their possessions, and her voice was low and musical. I was infatuated with her from that instant. I brought her flowers and tried to get to know her better. She was cool at first, but after they'd settled in, she began to warm up to me. It all happened quickly after that—by late summer we were in love. I even asked her to marry me, and she accepted. But then…."

He paused again, swallowing hard as if choking down tears. "Then Armand came to town one day. Tall, muscular, handsome, and rich—the girls were all fainting left and right at his feet. But he only had eyes for Nadia. Still, I wasn't worried. I knew that she loved me, and I trusted her implicitly. Until… until one day I came across them kissing passionately in a little glade in the woods near the river shallows."

Cam brushed his hand over his eyes, rubbing his forehead is if it ached. "She came to see me that night. Said it was over, that I'd never meant anything to her, really—I was just a summer distraction to her. She'd never been serious about our engagement—it was just another notch on her belt, I suppose. She said she'd be marrying Armand in the fall, and then… and then she left. I never saw her again. My heart was completely broken, Alice; it was days before I could even get out of bed, let alone function. So when you arrived… I was still hurting, even though it'd been almost five years. And I didn't think I was ready—didn't think I even wanted to try—to love someone again. After she hurt me like that, I didn't think I could ever trust another girl."

I nuzzled his shoulder with my cheek, holding his hand and saying, "I see. So that's why whenever you spotted me with someone else—like out riding with Kana—you'd get so angry. It didn't make sense to me at the time, since everything seemed so innocuous and since we weren't exactly dating—certainly not exclusively or anything. But now it makes sense. You were measuring me by the only yardstick you had—the one she gave you. And… and I guess all this business with Mikhail must have been doubly hard on you after going through that."

He nodded, then said, "Although, it's not really the same. I mean, at first I didn't really _know_ you, so even the thought of falling in love with you terrified me. But as we became better acquainted, I learned that you are fundamentally different from Nadia. She _seemed_ kind; you _are_ kind. You're beautiful both inside and out; she was only beautiful on the outside. She was a money-grubbing social climber; you value people over possessions, and you love people for their own sakes, not for what they can give you or do for you. She was both selfish and self-centered; you are compassionate and more concerned for others than yourself. So as I got to know you, and once you'd told me about your and Mikhail's history, I came to feel that I really could trust you. You've never lied to me, not even when it was difficult to tell the truth. So it's been much easier to trust you than I thought it would be. And while I still live each day with the fear that you will tell me that you have chosen him over me, at the same time, I know you won't lead me on or deceive me and that you won't leave me feeling like a discarded toy."

I squeezed his hand hard, my throat feeling tight as I held back tears. After a minute, I said, "Cam, I…."

"Shhh," he said, "it's okay. You don't need to say anything." I struggled to regain my composure, then I stood up and walked slowly over to my dining table in the next room. I picked up a basket with some flowers in it and turned to show Cam.

He looked at them, then looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Primroses? Mikhail?" he asked.

I nodded. "Apparently there's also a flower festival in the town where he's settled for the summer, so he express shipped these to me in honor of the day. Dirk dropped them off this morning."

"They mean 'I can't live without you,' right?" he murmured, looking curiously at me.

"Right," I replied. I set them back on the table, then went and placed Cam's roses in a vase of water. "The funny thing is," I said slowly as I returned, carrying the vase with me and setting it on the living room table, "I… I don't really miss him all _that_ much. Not as much as I feel I should, anyway. I think I miss you more when you're away for just one day than I've missed Mikhail all these days since he left. I feel awful for feeling this way, but… it's kind of a relief to have him gone. He was getting to be so… possessive. So temperamental and jealous. It was getting to be too much. And he kept wanting more and more from me, wanting more than I was willing to give him."

Cam looked at me for a moment, then said, "So… what is it that you're saying?"

I came up to him, sat on his lap, and placed my arms loosely around his neck. Leaning my forehead against his, I said, "I'm trying to say…. I'm trying to tell you that I… I just can't see myself living happily with Mikhail. We… we just aren't well suited for each other. But I think… I _think_ I can see you and I being happy together. I don't know if you feel the same way…."

He pulled back and looked at me, stunned. He inhaled sharply, and pulling me tightly to him, he said in a low voice, "Alice, I've never wanted anyone or anything more than I want you. I want you with me always, for the rest of our lives." He held me tightly, as if afraid I'd disappear if he let go.

We sat like that, me on his lap and our arms around each other, lost in thought. After a while, Cam started slightly, and said, "Well, it's getting late. I'd better head back to Bluebell. Can I come see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, please do," I replied, reluctantly standing up. "Do you want to go for a ride?"

"Sounds great," he murmured into my hair as he gave me a final hug. I saw him to the door, giving him a kiss goodbye before he headed back towards the tunnel.

I saw Cam pretty often over the next few days. He came over for dinner most nights, and we went on long rides together on his days off, packing picnic lunches to take with us. He was getting more comfortable on horseback as well as more skilled at handling his horse. In addition to the mountain, we explored the area around the villages, too. There were numerous hills and dales and small mountains in the vicinity that made for enjoyable riding.

He had become fond of Cowboy, the buckskin that Grady and Georgia kept available for his use, too. He was a gentle, calm fellow, and although not very speedy, he was surefooted and hardy, and very patient with Cam's inexperience. So the Monday after the Flower Festival, I went to talk with Georgia to see if I could arrange to buy Cowboy and board him at Grady's. "Cam's gotten quite comfortable with Cowboy," I explained. "But I know you and your dad have a business to run, and it would be only natural if someday you found a buyer for him. So, if you're willing, I'd like to be that buyer."

Georgia agreed that it would be great for me to buy him, if her dad was willing to board him. We approached him on the subject, and he gladly consented to sell the gelding to me. We settled on boarding arrangements and fees as well as on a price for the horse. I also purchased his tack, which Grady said Cam could store there in the tack room.

Pleased by the outcome, I went out to find Cowboy. Stroking his soft black nose, I told him, "Well, boy, looks like you belong to Cam, now. What do you think of that?" He nickered softly as I fed him a piece of apple, then I returned to work.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	34. Chapter 33

When I saw Cam at his shop the next day, I asked if I could talk to him for a few minutes. He put a "Back Soon" sign on his counter, and we strolled over to the benches by the nearby flowerbeds. I picked up his hand and held it, then said, "I wanted to let you know… Cowboy's been sold…" Cam looked surprised, but before he had a chance to feel dismayed, I continued, "…to me. I bought him for you—so that you'd never have to worry about him going to someone else. He's all yours now. Grady will board him for you, it's all been arranged."

"You what?!" he exclaimed. "I… I don't know what to say. That's… well, that's such an amazing gift! Is he really mine now? A horse… my own horse. I never thought I'd have a horse of my own. I mean, I can't even have a _cat_. But then, I never thought I'd be riding horses—let alone enjoying it. Thank you, Alice. You're so generous." He put his arms around me and kissed me.

Pulling back after a moment, I said, "So do you want to go say hi to Cowboy? I can watch your stall for you if you like."

"Really?" he asked. "That would be great, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all," I replied, laughing as I pushed him along the plaza towards Grady's. I returned to the flower shop and removed the sign, watching with a grin as Cam ran down the steps at the far end of the plaza and disappeared as he went around the corner towards Grady's pasture.

Ever since the tunnel between the two villages had been completed, tourism in the area had picked up a lot. So by the time Cam had returned, I'd sold masses of flowers to a large number of customers. I was surprised at how many men were buying flowers that day, and commented on it when Cam finally came back. To my surprise, he just threw his head back and laughed and laughed. I didn't see what was so funny, and told him so.

"My dearest Alice, the _flowers_ weren't the attraction—_you_ were. They were only buying flowers as an excuse to talk to you."

Turning red, I said, "What nonsense! I'm sure that they were buying them for their girlfriends or wives or mothers."

Looking at me with an amused expression, he said, "And did any of them try to give flowers to you? Or ask you anything… personal?"

"Well… there were a few that apparently changed their minds after they had already paid for the flowers, so they asked if I'd like them… " I admitted reluctantly. "And some of them asked me things like if I had plans for the evening, or how long had I been working here, or things like that. But that's just small talk!"

Cam shook his head at me, saying with a smile, "And what did you say?"

"Oh, well, the ones that asked about my plans for the night, I said that my boyfriend was coming over for dinner. The ones who asked how long I'd been working here, I told them that I didn't—that it was my boyfriend's shop and I was just covering for him while he ran an errand. And the ones that asked what I like to do in my free time, I said that lately I'd been enjoying horseback riding with you."

"I thought as much," Cam replied with a grin. "You see, I saw the flocks of men that gathered around you, and I saw one after another leaving looking disappointed. I even overheard two of them talking, one asking the other if he'd had any luck with the flower shop girl, and the second replying 'no, apparently she already has a boyfriend, lucky guy'." Chuckling at the recollection, he said, "I'm sorry, I would have been back sooner, but I kind of got caught up watching the spectacle."

Still embarrassed by his revelations, I pretended to be offended. He made it up so nicely, though, kissing me and whispering such sweet things, and even offering to buy me dinner that night, that I quickly forgave him. I gave him a kiss, and suggested instead of eating out, he get a picnic basket from Howard and Laney and we go for a ride and a moonlight picnic. He agreed and said he'd be over after work.

Cam appeared at my door shortly after 6, grinning at me as I let him in. "So, pretty lady, I'm too late to buy flowers from you. But if you're free tonight… ?"

I laughed and gave him a playful push. "Oh, stop teasing me! I think you're making it all up, anyway. I'm nowhere near as pretty as Laney, so why would I get more attention than she does? She doesn't get flocks of boys in the café! I'm sure they were just perfectly nice boys. I was just surprised that you'd have so many appear out of nowhere, that's all."

Cam looked at me seriously, saying, "I think part of your charm is that you are so totally unaware of it. You just think the best of people because that's all you ever see—but it's there because you bring the best out in people. Laney doesn't get as much attention simply because while she's very pretty and nice, she's also a bit of an ice princess. Guys feel shot down before they even start. But you—you're kind and sweet and, well, more approachable. Guys feel like maybe they have a chance with you, kind of like people in general feel drawn to you."

I frowned at his words, hating to be reminded of the singular attraction men seemed to feel towards me, and the sometimes unpleasant results. I turned away and asked, "Well, are you ready to go then? Did you pack a dinner?"

"Uh, yes, yes I did," Cam said, his voice sounding surprised. "I brought fresh bread, and cheese, and fruit, and salad. I think Laney may have put in some fresh baked cookies, too. Is that okay?"

I nodded, walking into the kitchen. Cam caught my hand, saying, "Hey, is something wrong?" I shook my head, refusing to meet his gaze as I blinked back tears. "Come on, what's wrong? Was it something I said?"

Clearing my throat, I said, "I'd rather not talk about it right now, okay Cam? I… I need to clear my head first. I think I'll feel better after a good ride. Let me grab a bottle of wine, then we can hit the trail, okay?"

Cam nodded, saying, "Okay, yeah, sure. You 'd better grab a jacket—it's looking cloudy on the horizon, so it might get chilly." I grabbed the wine and a jacket and we headed out to the barn.

We set out after deciding to stick to the familiar mountain path, since we'd be riding at night. It was still sunny now, but as Cam had mentioned, I could see clouds in the distance. As soon as we hit the long, straight path from the river shallows up towards the peak, I turned and grinned at Cam, said, "Okay, let's _go_!" and urged Nubium into a full gallop. I raced her up the path clear to the top of the mountain near the spring, Cam and Cowboy following close behind.

As he came to a stop, I turned and walked Nubium up alongside Cowboy so that they were standing nose to tail, and then I leaned over and kissed him. He seemed startled at first, but he quickly warmed to it. We kissed, leaning towards each other to bridge the gap between us, until finally our horses became impatient and started to pull away from each other. We dismounted, laughing, and tied our horses to a pair of trees on the edge of the meadow near the spring. Grabbing the picnic supplies, we strolled up to the mountain top, spreading out a blanket in the clearing overlooking the valley where we could watch the sun setting and the stars coming out as we dined.

Sipping wine after we'd finished our meal, I looked over at Cam. The sun had almost entirely dipped below the horizon in a blaze of fiery glory, and his face was bathed in the brilliant colors. He watched it, seemingly lost in thought, then he noticed me watching him, and leaning back against the rock behind us, he held his arm out, inviting me to snuggle up to him. We sat curled up together in silence until the golden glow had faded to deep purples and blues. The moon was already rising above the tree line behind us, bathing the mountain peak in a silvery glow.

I leaned my head against my shoulder, and he pulled me closer to him. "Are you cold?" he asked as I shivered slightly.

I shook my head, saying, "No… it's not that. Cam, I'm sorry for being a little short with you earlier. But you don't know…. You talk about the attraction I have for others. But… it's not always such a good thing, you know. Some people—men, I mean—just… lose it. Like that time with Ash. It's nice to be loved, but when it turns into an obsession…. There was one boy in my high school, Luke was his name. He… he wanted to go out with me badly. I mean, _really_ badly. And I just didn't feel anything at all for him, so… I kept turning him down. I still hadn't gotten over Mikhail, you see, so I just wasn't interested in dating anyone. He… really couldn't handle rejection. Not at all. The last time I saw him was near the end of my senior year. He came over to my house to try to persuade me to go out with him yet again. When I turned him down, he just… snapped. He lost it, flew into a total rage. He… grabbed my kitten, Bitsy, and… " I choked, unable to speak for a moment, overwhelmed by the emotions evoked by the memory. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I continued after a moment, looking Cam in the eyes. "He grabbed her and… and… he snapped her neck." Cam gasped sharply, a shocked look on his face, as I went on. "Right in front of me. Said that if I knew what was good for me—and for my family—I'd better reconsider. Luckily my parents got home right then. They called the police, and he ended up in jail. Not for very long—definitely not long enough, if you ask me—but long enough for me to finish high school and go away to college."

"That… that's horrible," Cam said, squeezing me tightly. "I'm so sorry. What a terrible thing for you to go through."

Shakily, I resumed my narrative after a moment. "He wasn't the only one, either. There was also Henry… this was a year or so before… before the incident with Luke. Henry lived nearby, and he was a few years older than me—he was in college, and I was a junior in high school. Anyway, he… he also ended up in jail... after my father found him climbing the tree outside my window one summer night, carrying a camera, a length of rope, some lingerie… and a big hunting knife, like a Bowie knife. He got away before the police could get there, but since we knew who he was, the police found him within a few days. But I was scared to death while they were hunting for him… I never knew if he might show up or what he might do. They ended up putting him in an asylum…."

Cam held me tightly as I pressed my face against his shoulder, shaking and dampening his shirt with my tears. "Wow," he said after a few minutes. "I… I had no idea. No wonder you'd get so upset when I'd talk about your charisma and how attracted people are to you. I'm sorry, Alice. I never meant to bring up bad memories."

I shook my head, saying, "No, it's okay Cam. How could you have known?"

"So that explains why you were so panicked by Ash—not that it wouldn't have been scary anyway. But having been through that…."

"Yeah," I agreed, "it really frightened me badly. I was so scared that he was going to be another of _that_ sort. It took a while before I felt at all reassured that he wasn't… going to be like that. I'm still a little scared of him, but not so badly, not since he and Laney started dating anyway."

I shifted my position a little, stretching out a kink that was forming in my back, then said, "Oh, I've gotten your shirt all wet—I'm sorry! Do you want your jacket?"

"Don't worry about it," he said as he reached up, stretching to pull our jackets down from the branch where we'd hung them without loosening his hold on me. He draped mine around my shoulders, holding it as I slipped my arms into it, then shrugged into his. He settled back again, pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around me.

I sighed, and said, "So anyway, that's what's been bothering me. I… I guess I maybe can be in denial about it, just because it's had some really bad effects. I wish it wasn't so. But… I just can't seem to manage to be mean!"

Cam laughed at my chagrined expression, giving me a hard squeeze and saying, "Don't worry about it, Alice. I'm here for you now, you know. I'll watch out for you." I snuggled down into his arms, feeling relaxed and secure.

After several minutes, I sighed and said, "This is so nice, Cam."

"Yeah," he replied, "it is. I'm glad you're here with me." He cleared his throat and fidgeted slightly, then went on. "So, Alice, I kind of wanted to talk to you. I guess, well there's something I'd like to know…."

I turned and looked at him curiously. "Okay, what is it?"

Clearing his throat again, he reached down and held my hand, then said, "Well… it's just that…. You know, I'm really happy when I'm with you. You're really important to me. And I hope you feel the same way?"

I nodded, squeezing his hand and saying, "Yes, I do. I love being with you."

"Then, ahh, well, I wondered… well, this," he replied, and I felt something cold slip onto my finger. I looked down to see something glittering in the moonlight on my hand, and looked up at him in surprise.

"You… you mean…. Are you… ?"

"Yes, Alice, I am. Will you marry me? I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Nothing would make me happier, and I promise I'll do my best to make you happy."

I looked at the golden band, the gemstones sparkling and flashing the reflected light, and I felt the tears in my eyes as I smiled at him. "Oh, Cam," I murmured as I threw my arms around his neck. "I love you so much." Cam sighed in relief as he nuzzled my hair and put his arms around me again. I leaned back and looked into his eyes before I continued.

"But I can't marry you. I'm so sorry." And I slipped off the ring and set it in his hand, closing his unwilling fingers around it.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	35. Chapter 34

I jumped up from my chair, nearly knocking my fragile china teacup to the floor. "What?! Wait, what? You said _no_? No way, Grandma, that can't be right! This _is_ Grandpa you're talking about, right? You _had_ to say yes!" I cried out, feeling like the world had just turned inside out and upside down.

Grandma smiled up at me, saying, "Sit down, my dear. You know, your Grandpa was an amazingly patient man. Though I admit that I certainly put his patience to the test at times…."

* * *

><p>Cam blanched at my words, his face drained of all color. "You… you… what? You can't…. Why? Why can't you? I thought…." He stumbled over his words in understandable bewilderment. I continued holding his hand after I returned his ring, and I caressed his cheek with my free hand, closing my eyes to focus on my words. I took a deep breath, and I tried to explain.<p>

"I love you, Cam, of that I'm certain. But I'm not yet sure if I love you enough, or in the right way, to marry you. You said you wanted me to take as much time as I needed to be sure—_really_ sure—of my choice. Well, all I know right now is that I don't miss Mikhail nearly as much as I think I should miss someone I'm in love with. So it doesn't seem to me that I could marry him. But…." I hesitated, uncertain how to continue, and looked up at him.

Cam returned my gaze, the color slowly returning to his face, and with a flash of comprehension in his eyes, he said, "But you don't know if it might be the same with me. You want to put our love to the test, as you did with Mikhail. Is that it?"

I slowly nodded. "I decided two days ago, and I heard back from my folks this morning. My brother, Rob, wants to test his wings, so to speak, so he's going to come out and tend to my farm for me while I'm away. He's arriving tomorrow, and I'm leaving the next day. I'll be gone for two weeks—that should be long enough. I think… I _think_ when I return, I'll know for sure if we're right for each other. I'm sorry to ask you to keep waiting… and I'll understand if you're fed up and don't want to wait around any longer. But I feel like I have to do this."

He sighed and looked away for a minute, then looked back at me. "Well, I said I'd wait, and I meant it. It's a bit hard, I admit, when I thought that at last my wait was over. But don't worry about it. I'll still be here for you when you return. Where do you plan to go?"

I hesitated and bit my lip uncertainly. "That… that's the other thing I need to tell you. I'm… I'm going to the town where Mikhail is spending the summer. I'll be staying in a guest house there. It's on the coast, quite a ways northwest of here. I feel like besides testing my love for both of you with separation, I also need to see how I feel after a reunion. So…."

Cam stood up quickly, turning away from me as he yanked his hat down lower—a sure sign he was upset or dismayed. "I see," he said, shortly. "So you'll be spending the next two weeks with… _him_. I guess my wait wasn't anywhere near as close to done as I'd hoped. Well, Alice, I hope you have a great time." And he started down the hill, not looking back at me as he left.

I jumped up and grabbed his arm as he walked away. "Cam," I pleaded, "please try to understand. I want to be _sure_. I can't marry you if I'm still full of doubts, can I? So I have to get rid of those doubts. Otherwise, I don't see how we could be happy together. Please forgive me. I know I'm asking a lot of you. It wasn't easy to make up my mind to do this, but it's what I need to do."

He stood there, keeping his back to me but not resisting my hand on his arm, either. After a moment, his shoulders slumped and he sighed a deep sigh. "It… It's okay, Alice. I _do_ understand. But that doesn't make it any easier, you know. Just thinking of you and him…." His shoulders tensed again.

"I'm sorry, Cam," I whispered as I let him go.

He nodded, then turned back to me, his eyes miserable. "Will… will I see you again before you leave?"

I nodded, saying, "Yes, of course. I want to take Rob around to meet everyone after he arrives, then I'd love it if you would join us for dinner tomorrow night? And I'll stop by to say goodbye in the morning before I leave. Mako has offered me a ride to the train station. The train leaves midday, so we'll need to leave early. I don't know if you'll be awake…."

"I'll make a point of it," he replied looking at me sadly before he turned and slowly walked back to his horse.

Two days later, I stood in my room at the quaint bed and breakfast where I'd taken a room, looking around. It felt strange to be there, away from my farm and with no friends in the area—except Mikhail, that is, who didn't know I was there… yet. The room was a good size and comfortably furnished. A large, soft bed was placed between two windows that looked out across the beach to the ocean, a small table on either side of it. A small dresser stood in one corner, and a dressing table/desk stood between it and one of the windows. A small sitting area in a large bay window overlooking the beach held a loveseat, a small table, and a bookcase filled with assorted knickknacks and books. The room had its own little bath with a nice, deep clawfoot tub. The room was pretty and airy, decorated in white with a deep green carpet and accents. I felt that I'd be very comfortable there during my stay.

I unpacked, then sat down at the desk and wrote a note, tucking it into a little envelope and addressing it before going in search of the innkeeper. I asked if she knew of someone who could deliver a note for me, and she suggested her oldest child, a boy of twelve called Ben. I gave him the note and some money, and asked him to wait for the reply, if there was one. He grinned and nodded agreement, then ran out the door.

I returned to my room and addressed postcards to my parents, my brother, Kana, and the girls, then I wrote a letter to Cam. It had been hard to follow through with my plan. Cam had looked so depressed when I'd stopped by to say goodbye that morning that I'd been tempted to turn around and run back. But I didn't—I knew that I needed to do this, even if it wasn't easy.

I finished addressing and stamping my mail and carried it downstairs, leaving it in the basket for outgoing mail. Just as I dropped my letters in, a familiar voice from behind me said, "Alice? Is it really you?"

I turned around and was immediately swept up in a fierce embrace. "It _is_ you—I'm not dreaming!" Mikhail exclaimed, pulling back and holding my face in his hands as looked eagerly into my eyes. "I couldn't believe it when that boy showed up at my door with your note."

"Mikhail," I said, laughing as I pulled his hands from my face and held them in mine, "it's only been a couple of weeks since you left!"

"Is that really all?" he asked, again enfolding me in his arms. "Perhaps so, but each day I've been gone has felt like a month of Sundays. You don't know how much I've missed you…." He buried his face in my hair as he held me tightly.

We stood like that for a few minutes, then I pulled away, saying, "I don't know what your plans are for tonight, but… I was just about to go look for a restaurant when you arrived. I missed lunch, and I'm famished. Want to join me for dinner?"

He smiled as he tucked my arm into his, and said, "Please allow me to take you to one of my favorite places. You'll need to change your clothes, though. Why don't you go get yourself dressed for dinner? I'll go home and change, too, then return and wait for you here."

"Well… I'd really like a shower, in that case, as the train ride was rather hot and dusty…. Are you sure you won't mind waiting that long?"

He leaned down and gave me a tender kiss, then said, "Not in the least. Take as long as you like." I squeezed his hand and hurried off.

An hour later, I came downstairs—showered, made up, and dressed in one of the nicer dresses I had packed: a short, simple dress in very pale grey with a black mesh overlay embroidered with stylized peonies and roses. I'd pulled my hair back into a loose chignon, and I wore black heels and a pair of simple black pearl earrings that had belonged to my grandmother.

I found Mikhail waiting in the front sitting room. He had changed into a dark grey suit with a pale grey shirt and black tie, and he looked exquisitely masculine. He stared at me as I approached him, and I blushed under the intensity of his gaze. "You look… utterly delightful," he said softly, as he came up to me and put his arms around me.

"You look pretty terrific yourself," I replied with a smile.

He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss before saying, "Come on, let's go. There's a cab waiting to take us there." I wrapped a lightweight black shawl around my shoulders, and we left.

Our destination was an intimate little place right on the beach, just outside of town. It appeared to be a smallish beach house that had been converted into a restaurant, with just a few small tables in each of a few rooms, as well as a large deck with more tables. It was there that the maitre d' led us, chatting in a familiar manner as we followed him outside.

We had a lovely, unobstructed view to the west across the water, and I was sure that the sunset would be magnificent. Mikhail asked for a bottle of champagne, which was brought to us while he ordered our meal. Small but beautiful gardens surrounded the building, so we took our glasses and strolled through them, admiring the wealth of summer blooms in the well-tended beds as we sipped our wine.

As we wandered along the paths, I noticed a quaint arbor tucked back in a corner, covered in a profusion of tiny golden roses. I leaned over to breathe in the rich, tropical fragrance of one of the blooms, looking back in delight at Mikhail. He appeared to be just about to speak but instead shook his head slightly and remained silent. He smiled at me and held his arm out, and we slowly walked back to our table, arriving just as the waiter brought a plate of oysters on the half shell. A large, cheerful man wearing a chef's toque followed closely behind, greeting Mikhail enthusiastically as he held my seat for me. From their conversation, it was obvious that they were friends, and when Mikhail introduced him to me as the chef/owner, Étienne, the florid man bent over my hand with a huge smile and a twinkle in his eye that immediately endeared him to me. He departed a few minutes later to return to his kitchen, promising Mikhail a marvelous meal and winking at us as he hurried off. Mikhail sat down, smiling as he commented that they'd been friends for several years now, having met at one of his performances.

Étienne was no slouch in the kitchen, it seemed, and our meal was delightful: scintillatingly fresh raw oysters with our champagne, followed by a cold creamy arugula soup. The entrée he chose to prepare for us was a Salad Niçoise, replete wish fresh seasonal vegetables and topped with seared fresh tuna. He sent a bottle of lightly chilled rosé as the perfect accompaniment. Afterwards, as we watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon in a blaze of fiery glory, we nibbled bite-sized berry tarts with our coffee. It was easily the nicest meal I'd had in ages, if not ever—and not just the food. The setting and the company all enhanced my enjoyment of the evening.

Since it was such a beautiful night, Mikhail had the cab drop us off along the boardwalk so we could go for a stroll before he returned me to my room. As we walked along, he reached for my hand, then with some hesitation, said, "Darling, I've been wondering… does your arrival here mean that you have chosen me over Cam? Or is that too much to hope for?"

I exhaled in a soft sigh, then steered him towards one of the many benches along the path. I sat down next to him, and taking his hand in mine, I looked up at him and replied, "No, Mikhail. It doesn't."

He shoulders slumped slightly as he looked away, saying in his soft voice, "I… I see. So I am no further ahead. But hopefully I am no further behind, either?"

Sighing again, I looked out across the moonlit water, taking a moment to collect my thoughts before I answered. "When you left Konohana, there was a void—something missing where you had been. And I felt that… that lack, and I missed you. But… but it didn't hurt the way I thought it _should_ hurt to have someone I love gone like that. And so I wondered… if your absence didn't sting, how could it really be love, _true_ love? So then I wondered… would it be the same way with Cam? And how would I feel after being reunited with each of you after an absence? So…."

"So you decided to come and find out for yourself?" Mikhail asked, turning to face me. I nodded my head, and he leaned back and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "And?"

"And… it's too soon to say. I can say that it was a sheer delight to see you again, but… but that's all I know so far. If you aren't too busy, I'd like to spend some time with you while I'm here. I'll be honest, Mikhail, I'm not sure we're well suited for each other. You're temperamental and possessive, while I'm very independent and chafe at your jealousy. Those aren't the sorts of conflicts that are likely to just disappear, you know. Still, here I am. I'll be here for two weeks, so I suppose one _might_ say that you have two weeks to make me forget Cam and change my mind about you—about _us_. Then at the end of my stay, I'll return home and see how I feel about him. I'm hoping—really hoping—that I'll know then."

"Two weeks…." Mikhail mused, looking out at the sea. After a moment, he looked at me and smiled. "I do have a few prior engagements, I'm afraid. However, I believe you would be welcome to accompany me to most, if not all, of them—if you cared to do so, of course. Otherwise, I am entirely at your disposal." He leaned down and kissed me then, tenderly. "And I will do my best to drive all thoughts of any other man from your mind," he whispered as he held me tightly.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	36. Chapter 35

**AN:** I'm out of chapters to post! I'm working on the next one, but I may end up needing to take a few days off to catch up again. Don't worry, though-this won't be one of those neverending hiatuses if I do need to do that! I have the story all planned out clear to the end, I just need the time to write it. And this has been a really busy month for me, so I haven't gotten as much time as I'd like for writing. But we'll see-I'll try to keep up and maybe even get a little bit ahead again, if I possibly can! Thanks for reading, I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Please let me know what you think of it! :)

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><p>Over the next few days, I saw quite a bit of Mikhail. He took me all over the town and its environs, exploring parks, gardens, and galleries, or simply relaxing on the sandy beaches. He showed me some of his favorite haunts, and we dined at cozy little cafés and delightful restaurants. The weather was lovely—milder here than back at home, but still clear and sunny, with a delightful breeze each morning and evening carrying the scents of salt water and flower gardens and the cries of gulls through my windows and across town.<p>

On the third day from my arrival, the first of Mikhail's "prior engagements" occurred: he had offered to play his violin for a friend's wedding. It was a small ceremony on a sunny afternoon in a beautiful seaside garden full of roses and lilies and mallows. Mikhail's music during the ceremony was the perfect touch. At the garden reception afterwards, he introduced me to the groom, Stuart, and his new wife, Elena. "So, this is the lovely Alice," Stuart smiled at me as he took my hand. "She is charming, Mikhail. Let me remind you that I would be happy to return the favor and play the music for your own wedding."

I blushed and, hoping to turn the subject away from the subject of our relationship, I asked, "Do you play an instrument, then?"

"Yes, my dear. I am a cellist, and my beautiful bride is a violist. We enjoy playing together when Mikhail is in town, but alas—we lack a second violinist to form string quartet. I don't suppose by chance that you play violin?"

"No, I'm a farmer, not a musician."

"Indeed? I never would have imagined Mikhail falling for someone that was not musical."

"She does play the violin, as a matter of fact," Mikhail interjected with an amused expression, "just not professionally. As an amateur, however, she is quite talented. I've been giving her lessons recently…."

His friend raised an eyebrow, commenting with smirk, "Yes, I'm sure you have."

I blushed even pinker at the innuendo, but before I could speak, a large, glittering woman swooped in and wrapped her arms around Mikhail in a suffocating embrace. "Mikhail!" she shrieked in a rather strident voice. "Imagine seeing you here! How delightful!"

"Hello, Mrs. Bennett. How do you do?" Mikhail murmured, gently freeing himself from her grasp.

She clicked her tongue, saying, "Now, now, Mikhail—how many times have I told you? You must just call me Mary. There's no need to be so formal!" Turning to look behind her, she called out, "Lizzie! Look who's here! Come say hello, darling!"

A rather skinny, shy-looking girl with fair hair and pale eyes wandered up. "Yes, mama?" she asked, in a quiet voice.

"Darling, it's Mikhail! Isn't it wonderful? Oh!" she exclaimed turning back to him. "I've had a marvelous thought! There will be dancing in a little while, won't there? Why, you can dance with Lizzie! I'm sure she'd be delighted! Isn't that right, dearest?"

"Ahh, sadly, I will have to decline," Mikhail said, firmly but with a ghost of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. "You see, my dance card is full, so to speak. One dance with the bride, of course, then the rest of the evening will be devoted to my fair companion. Alice," he said, turning to me, "allow me to introduce you to Mrs. Mary Bennett and her daughter, Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennett, Miss Bennett—Miss Alice Tremayne."

Mrs. Bennett turned towards me with a baleful glare. "And just who is _she_, then?" she asked, pulling herself up to her full, not-insignificant height.

I smiled sweetly at her, and replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a very old… _friend_… of Mikhail's. We've known each other for many years, since we were teenagers."

"Really. How very odd that I've never seen you or heard him mention you until tonight," she replied stonily.

Mikhail stepped in, his eyes twinkling at me, and said, "Alice owns two farms, both of which are quite some distance from here. One of them is located outside the town where I spent most of the past year. This is the first vacation she's taken in who knows how long, and of course I am thrilled that she chose to spend her valuable time in my company."

The older woman again glared at me, then with nothing more than a loud "Harumph!" turned on her heel and stalked away, dragging her beleaguered daughter, who looked back at us wistfully, along behind her.

I looked at Mikhail, and started to giggle, trying without success to stifle it. He grinned broadly, then he, too, began to laugh. We enjoyed a good laugh together, then, still chuckling, he guided me to the refreshments and selected two glasses of champagne. As he handed a glass to me, there was a call to order and the best man toasted the newly married couple.

Afterwards, there was a light buffet in the garden, followed by dancing on the terrace. Mikhail danced every dance he could with me, and when it was his turn to dance with Elena, Stuart took his place.

Stuart was an entertaining fellow, and he regaled me with stories of his and Mikhail's exploits. The two apparently enjoyed a firm friendship, despite the fact that they saw each other for just part of the year. Stuart lived there in town, but Mikhail only spent summers there. He went on to describe how the boisterous Mrs. Bennett had been chasing after him for a few years now, attempting to "land" him for her daughter—but that he was having none of it. "And now I see why," he added with a smug grin. "Who would ask for water when one might have champagne?" Just then, the dance ended, and Mikhail appeared at my elbow to reclaim me for the next dance.

"What is that look for?" he inquired as we slowly circled around the stone terrace to soft music.

"Oh, just something Stuart mentioned while we danced," I said, grinning at the apprehensive look that came over his face. "You look worried," I teased. "Are you afraid of what he might have told me? Have you been keeping some guilty secrets from me?"

Ignoring that last part, he asked, "Well, what was it that he told you that had you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" I asked innocently.

"Like a cat toying with a mouse," he said rather drily. "Come now, what was it that he said?"

I laughed and said, "Tell me if this rings a bell: a new moon, a 'slightly unpaid for' jug of wine, a coal chute, and a mastiff?"

He cringed and groaned, though I caught a sparkle in his eye. "I _knew_ it was a mistake to leave you alone with him. I can still feel that animal's teeth!" he replied ruefully.

"Yes, it must have been some time before you could sit down properly!" I laughed.

"Indeed. And the icing on the cake? I had a performance two nights later—I had to sit still for over an hour on a hard chair and look exalted."

"Poor you," I murmured up at him, trying hard not to giggle at the mental image. "And I bet that the wine wasn't even worth it."

"It was not," he replied emphatically.

After the bride and groom departed and the reception ended, we strolled along the boardwalk towards my guest house. When we were about halfway there, I stopped at a bench and sat down, looking up at him. "Mikhail… there was something else that Stuart mentioned." He sat next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and looking down at me. I knew he was anticipating my question; I could feel the tension in his shoulders.

"The times we've kissed—and more—I've wondered… it seemed to me that you weren't exactly inexperienced, like you knew very well what you were doing. And then tonight, Stuart mentioned… he mentioned a few women and implied that you… well, that you knew them rather well."

He sighed, then looked out across the water. After a few minutes, he spoke in a low voice. "During that time after Emil and I left, when I both hated and loved you… I turned to other women in an attempt to… to forget you. I found that older women in particular were attracted to me, and I learned quite a bit from them as a result. Of course, it failed—no matter who I was with, nor how many, you remained at the forefront of my mind. It was all just so… meaningless. I learned to please others, yet none could please me—simply because they weren't you." He turned to me again, asking, "Do you despise me for that? Are you repulsed by my actions?"

I looked away, considering before I answered him slowly. "I'm not sure. I don't quite know how I feel. You see, I swore to hold onto my virginity solely to avoid being used and hurt by someone who wanted nothing more from me than sex. And now you tell me that you've used women in just such a way yourself. So I don't really know what to make of that. Right now, I feel a little disturbed at the thought, and a little hurt, and, well, kind of betrayed to be honest—not because there were others, more because you kept it from me and because of how you used them. I also wonder, now, about those times when you tried to push me into giving you more than I wanted to give—what you would have done with me afterwards if I _had_ given in to you. Yet at the same time… I-I find myself curious about your experiences." I stood up and turned towards the boardwalk, then looked back at him. "I need some time to process all this. I'm not angry, but I _am_ confused and just need to think it over and, well, adjust to the idea. So I think I'll head back to my room now."

He sighed and nodded, then stood up. "I understand. I'm sorry. I know I should have told you sooner rather than waiting until you found out—I just couldn't quite bring myself to do so. I'm not especially proud of it. And for what it's worth, those women used me as much as I used them. They were nearly all bored, lonely housewives or widows or career women, and they were all older than me, most of them by several years. That's why it was just so meaningless—afterwards, nothing had changed. Not for them, nor for me. That doesn't excuse my actions, I realize, but still I wanted you to know that it wasn't, well, all one-sided." He stepped over to my side, and tucking my arm into his, said, "At least let me walk you home. This town is fairly safe, but I'd still feel better seeing you to your door than having a pretty young woman like you wandering around alone at night."

When we reached the front door, I turned and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "I need to write some letters tomorrow as well as do some shopping. Would you like to join me for dinner? Then afterwards we can discuss all this. Are you free?"

He nodded, saying, "Yes, I'd like that. And Alice, I truly am sorry—not just for what happened in the past, but also for the manner in which you learned of it. Now that I've found you again, though, I can say with absolute certainty that no other woman will ever do for me. You're the only one I want."

I frowned slightly as I looked into his eyes. "That's… a rather strong statement to make, Mikhail. What if I end up choosing not to marry you? What then?"

He placed his hands on my shoulders and kissed my forehead. "Then, my dear Alice, I will remain alone and celibate until the end of my days. I will never again attempt to settle for less." And he turned and left me standing in the doorway, watching as he disappeared into the night.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	37. Chapter 36

After breakfast the next morning, I returned to my room to write letters to my family and friends. I found Cam's letter to be the hardest to write—I didn't want to send him a letter full of Mikhail, yet it was virtually impossible to leave him out, as much of my time had been spent in his company. The end result seemed a little stiff and awkward to me, but it was the best I could do.

As I walked along the boardwalk after lunch, heading toward the shops that lined Front Street, I thought about what Mikhail had said last night. I wondered what would Cam have done, if he had been in the same situation? Would he, too, have turned to other women in order to forget me? Would he have used women in the same way? I thought back to his experience with the girl, Nadia, and wondered if he had done so after she left him. He hadn't mentioned anything like that, but neither had he said he had not. He had assumed that I was not a virgin; did that imply that he was not one himself? And did it matter to me, really, whether he was or not, or for that matter, that Mikhail was not?

Sighing as I turned down a sidewalk, I thought to myself that while I would have preferred that Mikhail had come clean, I could also understand his hesitation. I believe he would have told me, eventually. His scruples might have been different from mine, but he was not lacking them. I suppose the real question that lingered in my mind was, how much did I trust him now? Knowing that he had not hesitated to use women—however complicit they may have been themselves—I had to wonder… did he really love me as much as he declared? Or was it all just an act—a means to an end?

I stepped into a small shop that, judging from its excessively cute exterior to its selection of merchandise, catered primarily to tourists. Perusing the shelves, I found a few things to take home with me as gifts: a pendant made of silver and sea glass in the shape of a seahorse for Georgia, a pair of tiny butterfly earrings with wings carved from colorful shells for Cheryl, a set of wine glasses etched with seahorses for Kana, wind chimes made from beach glass and a piece of driftwood for my mother, and a pretty little shell-shaped teacup and saucer for Nori.

As I was paying for my purchases, who should walk in but the charismatic Mrs. Bennett and her daughter. She looked around the shop, as if searching for something in particular, then she saw me standing at the register and stiffened. I nodded politely to her and returned to my transaction, but she strode up to me. "Well, if it isn't the farmer's daughter herself. _Do_ mind your pennies, dearie, I'm sure a little break like this must be a strain on your wallet as it is."

I felt anger rising up in me at her condescension, but recognizing that she was simply trying to get a rise out of me, I decided not to give her the satisfaction. "Why, thank you for your concern, Mrs.… Bassett was it?" I said sweetly.

"Bennett," she snapped.

"Oh, that's right. Please excuse me, I'm just terrible with names, and I've only heard yours on that one occasion, you know. I'm sure I'll get it right eventually. Anyway, it's awfully kind of you to concern yourself with the state of my finances, but don't fret—my wallet is _quite_ comfortable."

"Fancy. I'd never have guessed that from your appearance," she said, looking over my denim short shorts, my ruffled polka-dotted crop top, and my high-heeled wedge sandals disparagingly.

I smiled and said, "Well, you know, I don't really have much time to dedicate to such frivolous pursuits as fashion. My businesses and charitable works take up a lot of my time, and, well, I have other… distractions… that I find preferable to shopping in my free time. But of course it's different for you."

She visibly fumed, then, at both my subtle innuendos that I spent a lot of time with Mikhail and that she led a trivial life. But before she could respond, her daughter grabbed her arm and pulled and tugged until she succeeded in getting her mama out the door, still glaring at me, speechless with anger.

I turned back to the sales clerk, who had watched the proceedings with a great deal of amusement. "It's not often that _that_ one gets knocked down a peg," he said with a grin. "She's used to everyone kowtowing to her—or rather, to her money."

I shrugged and said, "I'm not impressed. As Tennyson wrote, 'Kind hearts are more than coronets, and simple faith than Norman blood.' I'd far rather be poor for the right reasons than rich for the wrong ones."

"That's true enough, miss, though I doubt she's come across many who feel the same as you in her life," he replied as he handed me my bag.

"Probably not," I agreed with a laugh as I headed out the door.

I finished up my shopping, buying more souvenirs for my family and friends, and headed for home. I was particularly pleased with Cam's gift. I'd found a tiny shop that specialized in all things garden-related. There I'd selected some unusual flower seeds and a pretty little book full of photos of the local gardens. The town was nearly as well-known for its gardens, of which there were many, as it was for its pebbly beaches. The garden at my guest house was in there, as were the gardens at Chez Étienne Par la Mer. It was a lovely book, and I hoped he'd like it as much as I did.

While shopping, I'd noticed a nice little bistro with a sidewalk café, so when Mikhail arrived, I asked if he'd been there before. He had not, so we agreed to give it a try. "If nothing else," I said with a smile, "there'll be wine!" So while he waited downstairs, I cleaned up and changed into a pale sea green hi-lo skirt with a white bustier top and a cream lace cardigan, slipped on some brown strappy sandals, and we set out.

It was a lovely afternoon for a walk, so since we had plenty of time, we took it slow as we strolled along the boardwalk. There was a light breeze blowing, just enough to keep us from feeling too warm. After a time, we reached the sidewalk café and selected a table with a good view for people watching. We ordered our meal, then sat and sipped wine as we waited and watched the world go by. Once in a while, someone would recognize Mikhail and stop to say hello or to chat; other than that, it was quite peaceful.

As we sipped our wine and again as we ate our dinner, Mikhail kept giving me several questioning glances. Finally he asked, "Well, Alice, have you come to a decision regarding my past?"

"Yes. But I'd prefer to talk about it somewhere more private than a sidewalk café," I replied.

"All right. Do you have a place in mind?"

I took another bite while I thought it over—there weren't many places we could go for private, uninterrupted conversation. I took a sip of wine, then replied, "I suppose either your room or mine would make the most sense. That's about as private as we can get, anyway—at least, to the best of my knowledge. So unless you have a better suggestion…?"

"Your room would be preferable, I think. I stay in a friend's guest room, and it doesn't provide nearly the level of privacy that your room does. Plus there's only one chair anyway—it's not a large room."

"Okay, my room it is, then. I have a nice little sitting area that's pretty private—no other rooms adjacent to it or above it."

"Perfect. I would like to stop by my room on the way, though, if you won't mind? I'd like to bring my violin—that is, if you would enjoy some music?"

I agreed, so after dinner, we walked on to his friend's home, which was situated in one of the prettier residential areas on the southern end of town, eight or nine blocks from my bed and breakfast. The house was a tiny Victorian-style house perched at the top of a flight of stone steps leading down to the sidewalk below, with little terraced beds all along the slope on either side of the stairs.

He led me through the front door and up the stairs to a room at the top of the stairs. The small room had a tile floor strewn with Oriental rugs; the walls were hung with geometric floral wallpaper and had dark wood wainscoting and trim. The furniture was heavy, dark, and old-fashioned, but the bed was the real pièce de résistance: a large, heavy four-poster bed with a canopy and curtains, the frame was made of some dark wood that had turned nearly black with age. Ornately carved all around, it bore a coat of arms at the top of the headboard. A heavy red and gold tapestry was spread over it, and the canopy and curtains were likewise red and gold. I turned to him and commented, "Nice… uh, nice bed."

He looked at me in surprise. "You like it? Really?"

"No… I was just trying to say something nice about it."

He laughed, saying, "Well, that's a relief. I hate it, myself. But Erik's a good friend and fine person, if a bit… _eccentric_… in his tastes. And at least it's comfortable."

He picked up his violin case and quickly dropped some sheet music into a folio, which he then placed in his satchel. Looking up at a bottle of dark amber liquid on an adjacent shelf, he asked, "Hey, would you care for a nightcap? I have a bottle of very nice Armagnac I'd love to share with you. I can bring it along, and we can enjoy it while we talk."

"That sounds nice. I'd love to try it," I replied, and he carefully nestled the bottle into the satchel.

"Do you have glasses there you can use?" he asked, halfway reaching for a pair of glasses on the same shelf. I nodded, and he closed and fastened the bag and carefully slung it over his shoulder. He grabbed his violin case, and we left.

Once at the bed and breakfast, I took him up to my room. He looked around admiringly as he stepped in, saying, "What a lovely room you have here. Very tranquil."

"The view is beautiful, too," I added, walking over to one of the windows.

"Oh, definitely. Very beautiful," he said with a smile as he looked steadily at me. I blushed and led him over to the sitting room.

"Just set your things down anywhere. I'm going to look for some glasses. I'll be right back."

I headed back downstairs and raided the cabinet of stemware available for guest use. I found some that were similar in shape to the ones he'd been about to bring, so I selected two of them and returned to my room.

"Will these do?" I asked, handing them over for inspection.

"Yes, perfect," he replied, then he poured a little of the brandy out into each and handed a glass to me.

We sat down on the loveseat, and kicking my sandals off, I tucked my feet up under me. He put his arm around my shoulders to draw me a little nearer, then looking me in the eyes, said, "So. You said you'd come to a decision regarding my past… indiscretions. What have you decided?"

I leaned against his shoulder and took a tiny sip of the potent liquor as I gazed out the window. After a minute, I sighed and said, "I'm disappointed, of course. But even if I can't approve of your actions, I do understand why you did what you did, and also that you aren't wholly to blame—if anything, those older women are far more to blame, at least in my view. So I can get over that. But…."

"But?" he prompted after a moment.

"But I… I'm not sure whether I quite trust you now, either. You see, I keep wondering… so often you push yourself on me or try to take things farther than I want. So now that I know more about your past history… I keep worrying that all you want from me is sex. The only times you've actually mentioned marriage was that one occasion when you were getting so carried away—and that was just because you wanted to sleep with me so badly—and a few times teasingly while I was playing with Rahi and Ying. So… all that taken together, I worry that you'll just keep at me in the hopes that I'll give in, then go on your merry way."

He sat silently for a minute, looking out the window and apparently lost in thought. Finally, he replied, "I can't make you trust me, of course. And I certainly realize that my actions haven't exactly engendered trust. But I swear to you, Alice, I will not force myself on you, nor will I attempt to break your resolve. The only reason I have not talked about marriage with you, I suppose, is because it just seemed like the obvious conclusion. Of course I want to marry you—nothing would make me happier. And while that time I asked you to marry me I _was_ drunk with desire for you, nevertheless it was not lust speaking—I meant it with all my heart."

He sat for a minute, sipping his drink and looking thoughtful before continuing. "I don't know how to prove my sincerity to you, how to earn your trust. But I'll do whatever it takes, if it's within my abilities."

I scooted a little closer to him and rested my cheek against his chest. "I suppose we'll just wait and see how it goes. You can tell a lot about a person by their actions, you know. Of course, that can also work against you—like your actions on the night of my birthday party. But we'll see."

He nodded, then started slightly. "That reminds me, speaking of birthdays…." He set his glass down on the table and rose. Fetching his violin and the folio of music, he returned and sat next to me. "I never had the chance to give you your birthday present. So… here it is. I hope you like it."

With that, he tuned his violin, then began to play—a lovely, lilting piece I'd never heard before, calling to mind the season of spring: a little bit here sounding like the gentle spring rains, a little bit there reminiscent of butterflies and songbirds, and a another bit that reminded me of soft breezes and babbling brooks—all with an undercurrent of love and passion running through it.

Afterwards, he set his instrument down and looked at me. "Well? Did you… like it?" he asked, watching me closely.

I sighed—a long, blissful sigh—and snuggled back up to him. "It was… it was just beautiful. I've never heard anything quite like it before—did you write it?"

"Yes, I wrote it for you and to you. I poured my heart out into it, so I'm very glad that you enjoyed it."

"Very much," I said smiling up at him. He looked down at me for a minute, then, hesitantly, he leaned down and kissed me. He restrained himself, apparently surmising—correctly—that asking for more than a kiss at that time would have been an unwise move on his part. But nevertheless I could feel the passion in his kiss, like a surge of electricity coursing through him and into me.

After a short while, I pulled back. "I'm sorry, Mikhail. I… I don't really want to go any further. Not yet anyway."

He nodded, saying, "Don't apologize. I understand." He rose, put his violin and sheet music away, and carefully replaced his bottle of Armagnac in his satchel, then turned back to me. "I'll go now. May I see you tomorrow? I have an engagement in the afternoon—I'm to perform as part of a series of garden tours, each of which ends with tea and music. You are welcome to join me, if you would care to do so. I'd certainly love to have your company."

"Yes, I'd like that, thank you."

"Wonderful. It begins in the early afternoon, so why don't I come for you just before noon? I'll take you to lunch, then we can go to the tour after that. I think you'll enjoy it—the garden featured tomorrow is quite a lovely one."

I walked him to the front door and gave him a kiss, then he left and I returned to my room to sleep—and to dream—until the cries of the gulls at dawn awoke me.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	38. Chapter 37

Looking over my options hanging in my closet, I realized that I had no suitable dress for the tea that afternoon. So after breakfast, and armed with a few recommendations from my kindly landlady, I headed into town to see what I could find on short notice. Luck was on my side, and at the first shop I tried, I found a very pretty dress with thin straps and a v-neckline, designed in a floral print to just a few inches above the knee, and a sheer cream-colored fabric the rest of the length of the skirt, which fell to a little below mid-calf. I had some cream wedge-heeled sandals that would be just right, so I hurried back to my room to shower and dress before Mikhail's arrival.

Mikhail arrived just as I was coming down the stairs. Dressed in a pale blue shirt, sleeves neatly rolled up to his elbows, with a navy tie and light tan vest and trousers, he looked handsome and summery. He complimented my appearance, looking me over appreciatively, and we left. As we walked along the boardwalk, he commented, "So, I hear that you had a run-in with the glorious Mrs. Bennett yesterday."

I looked at him, startled, and said, "Well, yes, I suppose so. But how…?"

"It's a small town—word gets around, you know," he replied with a smile. "Actually, I heard of it from Erik at breakfast. He was surprised that you stood up to her and gave her as good as you got—if not better. He's a little terrified of her, so he was most impressed."

I blushed a little, replying with a laugh, "Well, as I told the clerk, I'm not impressed by money. Then I quoted Tennyson at him."

Mikhail shook his head. "Sadly, I'm not as familiar with the poets as I should be. Which quotation did you employ?"

So I repeated the lines to him: "'Kind hearts are more than coronets, and simple faith than Norman blood.' From his poem 'Lady Clara Vere de Vere.'"

He smiled and tucked my hand into his arm. "Ah, yes, very fitting, indeed. Well, just to warn you, she and her daughter are sure to be there this afternoon. She makes a point of attending every possible social function, welcome or not," he said, rather drily.

I just smiled up at him with a grin as I squeezed his arm, saying, "I'm not afraid of her."

"No, I didn't think you would be," he laughed.

We had lunch at a sidewalk café near the boardwalk, then strolled along the boardwalk to the house featured in today's tour. It was located in the "old money" neighborhood just north of town, on a small bluff overlooking a private-access beach. The house itself was a superb Victorian monstrosity, with towers and gables and porches and chimneys, all heavily embellished with architectural gingerbread. It was situated on a very large lot, and the gardens included a small formal garden, a croquet lawn, both a cutting garden and a potager, water features, and a folly. The hostess led everyone around, explaining all the different plants and flowers and giving a history of the gardens, which had been designed by a famous landscape artist nearly a century before.

The tour lasted about an hour, and then everyone gathered on an expanse of lawn where tables and chairs had been set up. Mikhail led me to a pair of seats near to where a chair and music stand had been set up for him. He retrieved his violin, and began to play. He'd chosen a selection of pieces, mainly from Mozart, Handel, Mendelssohn, and Pachelbel, that fit the occasion perfectly.

Afterwards, as he was carefully returning his instrument to its case, Mrs. Bennett came bounding up noisily. "Mikhail! Oh, Mikhail!" she called as she trotted along the lawn towards him. "I've saved a seat for you, darling boy. Why don't you join Lizzie and me for tea?"

He looked up for just a moment, replying as he finished closing and latching the case, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Bennett. I've already engaged a partner for the afternoon. You remember the incomparable Miss Alice Tremayne, of course?"

She gave me the briefest of venomous glances, saying, "Oh, it's you." The turning her back on me again, she looked imploringly at Mikhail. "Please do join us, Mikhail. You deserve so much better than… than _that_ little tramp."

A collective gasp went up from those around us, and people gathered around to see what was happening. I sat in my chair, unperturbed by her insult, and just looked up at her with a neutral expression. I watched Mikhail out of the corner of my eye, though, curious as to what his response would be. Would he feel a need to defend me, or would he hesitate to interfere in a quarrel between two women—if it could be called such, that is. I felt pretty sure that if it had been a man insulting me or causing me trouble that he'd have stepped in, even fighting if necessary. But he neither could nor would go to that extreme with a woman.

Mikhail set his case down and slowly straightened up and turned towards her. I shifted a little to see him more clearly and was surprised to see such naked anger in his eyes. I feared he was very close to losing his temper, and I wanted to avoid that if at all possible.

"May I remind you, Mary Bennett, that you are speaking of the woman that I love more than anyone or anything in the world. Take care, lest you arouse my anger," he said coldly.

She recoiled slightly before his visible ire, then holding out her hands in supplication, said, "But Mikhail, can't you see? You're bewitched, I tell you—bewitched! You'd never even mentioned her name until a few days ago, and now you have eyes for no one but her! What of… what of Lizzie? How can you turn your back on her—on both of us—like this?" She turned back around, glaring at me resentfully as she looked me up and down. "You! Just look at you! You don't belong here—you don't deserve someone like _him_! You, you're just a social-climbing, money-grubbing little floozy!"

Seeing Mikhail's face beginning to flush red with anger, I opened my mouth to speak before things could get out of hand. But before I could get a word in, her daughter stormed her way up to her mother. Everyone gasped in shock when she stood before her and slapped her resoundingly across her face. Her mother reeled and sat down hard on the chair Mikhail had recently vacated, too surprised to speak for the moment.

Elizabeth glared down at her mother, her pale grey eyes flashing as she snapped, "That will do, mother! I've had all I can take from you. You stand there acting so high and mighty, insulting a perfectly lovely lady like Alice for supposedly being beneath you, when you yourself are only the daughter of a horse trader and a cigarette girl! If Daddy hadn't fallen in love with you, who knows where you would have ended up? But you've chosen to ignore your past and pretend that you're better than you are, and you look down on decent, respectable people who are superior to you in every way—at least, in every way that really counts."

Mrs. Bennett's face turned ashen at her daughter's tirade, but Elizabeth wasn't done yet. Pacing angrily back and forth before her mother, she continued to berate her. "You keep after Mikhail, trying to match him up with me, carrying on about what a great pair we'd make and blah blah blah. But you've never once asked me how I feel about the matter—because you don't care! You only want Mikhail to marry _me_ because _you're_ in love with him! What were you _thinking_, mother? If he'd married me, would you have attempted to seduce him once he was safely installed in our house? It's embarrassing and pathetic to watch you chasing after him. I don't blame him for being so attracted to Alice—she's not only beautiful, she's also sweet and kind. You never stood a chance, mother, and it's high time you face facts for once in your life!"

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked off, leaving her mother utterly deflated and flabbergasted and the guests all dumbfounded behind her. I looked at Mikhail, who likewise looked at me. He slowly shook his head, looking completely stunned as he threw up his hands. I stood up and stepped over to him, giving him a quick kiss before whispering, "I'll be right back. I'm going to go talk to her."

I ran in the direction she'd fled, eventually catching up to her in the small orchard, sitting on a broad wooden swing suspended from a massive limb of an old apple tree. As I approached her, I saw tears glistening on her cheeks. "Elizabeth?" I said gently as I came up to her. "Are… are you okay?"

She nodded slowly, not looking up at me. After a moment, she said quietly, "You were best friends with Ruby when you were a girl, weren't you?"

Taken aback by her unexpected question, I felt the blood drain from my face, as was usual when I remembered my unfortunate playmate. "Y-yes," I stammered. "Yes, I was… but how…?"

"It took me a while to make the connection. I was pretty young at the time, you see—only seven. She… she was my cousin. My favorite cousin. I idolized her. I was heartbroken when she died. I just didn't understand, of course, that my beautiful, fun cousin, so full of life, was gone and never coming back. I think I even remember seeing you once. Daddy had taken me with him to visit my aunt—his little sister—and her family, and I remember soon after we arrived, Ruby returned from a ride with a friend of hers. I can't remember the friend's name anymore, if I ever even knew it, but I remember she was a pretty girl with pale gold hair and stormy blue eyes and that she rode an adorable white pony."

"Lady," I interrupted softly. "Her name is Lady. Yes, that was me, now that you mention it. I remember the day, I think—coming back after a long ride through the woods with Ruby one autumn day and seeing a man and a towheaded little girl standing there talking to her mom, and how excited the little girl and Ruby were to see each other. I went home soon after that, so I wouldn't intrude. It was only a few months later that… that she…."

"That she died," Elizabeth finished when I faltered. She looked up then, and we stared at each other for a moment, both of us silently shedding tears of grief for a life too soon ended.

Elizabeth slid over on the wide board seat and patted the vacant spot next to her. I sat down beside her and we rocked the swing lazily to and fro, lost in our thoughts.

"You know, I _hate_ when she calls me Lizzie," she said out of the blue a few minutes later. I started slightly, then looked over at her. She sat watching me, her eyes expectant.

I smiled a half smile, saying, "I can't really blame you for that."

"But… I don't really like Elizabeth that much, either. It sounds so…."

"Formal?" I suggested. She nodded and looked down. Thinking out loud, I mused, "It doesn't really fit, I guess. It's too stiff and formal for you, I think. But Betty and Bess don't suit you at all, either. I wonder…."

"Yes?" she asked as she looked back over to me.

"Beth," I said, trying out the sound of the name. "I think… I think Beth would fit you perfectly. It's sort of soft and pretty and gentle, yet courageous and dependable, too… which is how you seem to me to be."

"Beth…" she said, contemplatively. "Yes, I think you're right. I like it. I think I'll go by Beth from now on. No more Lizzie." She stood up and said, "I turn twenty-one in a few days, and then I inherit Daddy's property and money. Mother's only had the use of them until I reach my majority."

"Oh?" I said, puzzled as to why she was telling me this.

"So I don't think you—or Mikhail—need to worry about her anymore. She won't have more than a tiny allowance of her own after that, so she'll need to keep in my good graces to keep living in the style to which she's become accustomed. Daddy did it on purpose, of course—he loved her, but he was no fool. She tried to keep me under her thumb, but she failed. I had intended to keep quiet and just go along with her until after my birthday, partly to keep the peace and partly because I know how spiteful she can be. But I just couldn't take it anymore when she lit into you, especially not once I'd remembered who you are. And the way she fawns all over Mikhail just disgusts me. So…."

"Thank you, Beth," I said, smiling up at her. "It was pretty amazing the way you stood up to her. I had thought she had you completely cowed, but now I see how wrong I was."

She nodded acceptance of my compliment as she turned to leave, then hesitated and turned back to me. "If you wouldn't mind… I'd… I'd like…."

"Yes? What would you like?" I asked as she trailed off.

"I know since you were such good friends with Ruby, you must be a good person, and so… I wondered if we could be friends, too?"

I stood up and looked at her for a moment. "I'd like that," I replied as I gave her a hug. "Now… shall we rejoin the party?"

We walked back together, arms around each other's waists as we chatted together. When we reached the party, I gave her another little hug and returned to my seat while she returned to hers. Her mother had apparently left, leaving an empty spot on one side of her, but she looked more relieved than anything by the vacancy.

I sat next to Mikhail, who stared at me in astonishment. "Did I just see what I thought I saw?" he asked as he offered me a platter of tiny sandwiches.

I selected a few of the sandwiches, responding, "I don't know. What do you think you saw?"

"It looked to me as if you had conquered the skittish, yet surprising, Miss Elizabeth, despite her mother's rancor towards you."

"You're being dramatic," I chided him with a smile as I reached for a bowl of salad. "Oh, and it's Beth now, not Elizabeth."

He raised an eyebrow at me, looking so perplexed I couldn't help laughing. So as we ate, I filled him in on my conversation with Beth, and her revelation. He hadn't heard the story of Ruby, so I gave him a very abbreviated version, not wanting to spoil the tea with tears.

Afterwards, he said that after Beth and I had left, Mrs. Bennett, looking pale and sick, had gotten to her feet and staggered off to the house without so much as a look or a word. As far as he knew, she was still there, probably lying down on a sofa somewhere recovering from the shock of her daughter turning on her in such a manner.

Later, as we strolled through the gardens hand in hand, I looked up at him questioningly and asked, "So… if Beth hadn't charged in and confronted her mother, what would you have done? You looked beside yourself."

"I was," he admitted, letting go of my hand and putting his arm around me. "I was on the verge of losing my temper completely, so it's fortunate that Eliz… that Beth stepped in. I don't know what I would have done. I do rather lose control at times, as you have unfortunately witnessed."

"I could see that you were close to losing it, and I was about to speak up myself right when Beth dove in. Then I was too astonished to say anything."

"I admit that I was a little surprised that you just sat there and let her speak to you like that. I, well, I didn't think you'd just sit and take such abuse," he said, with a very slight reproof in his voice.

I laughed, saying, "I didn't say anything, because I didn't _care_ what she said or thought of me. Her opinion has no weight with me, and if it did with anyone else, well—their loss. They should know what she is like by now, so if they base their opinions on her own, well, it's a shame. But I wasn't going to get into a screaming match with her just because she threw a hissy fit and called me a few names."

He squeezed my shoulders, then he led me over to a small bench buried in a honeysuckle arbor. As we sat hidden within the tangle of vines and sweet blossoms, he leaned over and kissed me. "You know, whenever I think I love you as much as it is humanly possible to love someone, you go and prove me wrong again," he whispered, kissing my throat. I smiled up at him and put my arms around his neck and kissed him as the shadows lengthened and the birds sang their evensong all around us.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	39. Chapter 38

**AN:** A little lime in this chapter. I hope you enjoy reading, please let me know what you think so far!

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><p>Wednesday evening we stopped at a raw bar for dinner, then strolled along through the surf, holding hands. As we walked, I looked up at him and commented, "I've been here a week now. That means my vacation is half over."<p>

He looked quickly down at me, surprised. "Really? Has it already been that long? It's amazing how a week _without_ you can go so very slowly, yet a week _with_ you passes in the blink of an eye. Still, if it's half over, that means that there's still half remaining, as well. Shall we do something special tomorrow, to mark the beginning of the second half of your vacation?"

I turned to him and put my arms around his neck. "Well… I wondered if you'd like to come to my room for dinner? I mean, eating out is very nice, but after a while, I just really want a nice, home-cooked meal for a change. So I talked to Mrs. Cavell—my landlady—and she said I could use her kitchen to prepare a dinner for you."

"Surely that's not normally done in such an establishment?" he asked with a smile.

"No, not at all. But she seems to have taken a fancy to me, so she's making an exception, I suppose. I just need to keep out of her way when she's preparing food for guests."

Mikhail laughed and, placing his hands around my waist, he lifted me up and gave me a kiss. "My beautiful, delightful, charming Alice," He set me down again gently, and we resumed our walk. "What time shall I be there?"

"How about 7:00? Just come on up to my room when you arrive."

"I'll be there."

Early the next morning, even before breakfast, I hurried down to the waterfront, where I purchased some just-caught fish from the fishermen bringing in their day's catches. Stashing my purchases in the refrigerator, I quickly ate breakfast and went shopping for the rest of the ingredients I needed. I intended to make a simple meal consisting of some of Mikhail's favorite foods, including sashimi, daikon salad, miso glazed eggplant, and—his favorite—crisp, firm boiled tofu, followed by strawberries and cream. I planned to serve a very mild white wine with the meal, and monk's rope coffee afterwards.

I finished most of my preparations by six, so I ran upstairs to shower and dress before completing the final touches. It was an unusually hot day, so I selected a ruffled off-the-shoulder crop top, denim shorts, and sandals for maximum coolness.

I hurried downstairs and finished preparing the meal, then brought it up on trays to my room. Stepping out onto the balcony outside my sitting area, I set the small bistro table I'd borrowed from Mrs. Cavell and placed a small vase of red roses and a pair of candles in the middle. I had just brought up a bowl of thick cream, which I'd placed in a larger bowl of ice to keep cold, and the bottle of chilled wine when Mikhail knocked on my door.

I let him in with a smile and a kiss, and he handed a bottle of chilled champagne to me. "So that we may toast the rest of your vacation properly," he said cheerfully as we walked back to the sitting area and on through to the balcony. "Very pretty," he remarked, lightly brushing his fingertips over the crimson rose petals as he sat. While he opened the wine and poured it, I went to fetch the sashimi.

We savored our meal on the balcony, enjoying each other's company as the sun slowly sank below the horizon in an riot of brilliant hues. By the time it had set, we had finished our meal except for the dessert and coffee. We moved back inside, leaving the French doors open to let the light breeze in. While the coffee brewed, I whipped the cream, reserving some for the coffee. I mixed the coffee drinks and topped them with the reserved cream, then brought them, the berries, and the whipped cream over to the table. I handed a mug to Mikhail and sat down next to him, saying, "Go ahead and help yourself to the berries. They're amazing, very sweet and juicy."

He glanced at them, then smiled at me, saying, "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm not really that fond of strawberries."

I looked at him for a moment, then set my coffee down and looked at him. "If you don't like strawberries," I said in a soft voice, "perhaps it's because you aren't eating them the right way."

"Oh? And what is the right way?" he said, looking curiously at me.

"Try eating them like this…." I picked out a firm, plump, small berry, and I carefully placed it between my teeth. Then I moved over so that I was straddling his lap, and leaning forward and placing my hands on his shoulders, I gave him a kiss, dropping the berry into his mouth in the process. As we kissed, the berry rolled around our tongues, and when I pulled back, he swallowed it.

"You might be onto something," he said with a smile, placing his hands around my waist. "You know, I've never really cared much for whipped cream, either," he added with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

I stifled a giggle and reached over, scooping up a dollop of the fresh cream on my fingertip and dropping it onto my tongue. I leaned forward and kissed him again, this time swirling the cream around his tongue with mine until it finally melted away.

He looked at me then, smiling, and said, "Alice, I think maybe you've had a little too much to drink."

I grinned at him, saying, "I think you might be right. How about you?"

He choked a little on a laugh, then said, "Well, I may have joined you by the time I'm through with this coffee. Just what's in it, anyway?" He picked up his mug and took a sip of it.

"Coffee, cream, hazelnut liqueur, and crème de cacao. I might have used more of the liqueurs than I was supposed to, though. I didn't really measure it," I replied, then I took another swallow of the potent beverage and kissed him again in the waning twilight.

Inebriation and libido are a dangerous combination, but with most of my inhibitions rapidly eroding, I didn't care at that moment. I kissed him, for once meeting or even exceeding his fervor with my own as I remained straddled on his lap, pressing myself against him as I eagerly explored his mouth. My fingers wound through his short hair and trailed down the back of his neck, exploring and caressing his shoulders and chest.

Before long, the darkness of the night began to thin as the gibbous moon rose in the sky. I pulled back from Mikhail and looked at him, kissing his cheek and chin as I asked, "Want to go for a walk on the beach?"

He held me tightly for a minute, then with a sigh, he smiled at me and replied, "All right. Though I'm not exactly eager to let you go." I laughed and slid off his lap, and we rose and wandered down to the beach. We kicked off our shoes and Mikhail rolled up his linen trousers, then we strolled through the surf, the foamy waves lapping at our ankles. The water felt so refreshing, and the evening was still so warm, that I suddenly decided that more than anything, I wanted to go for a swim in the cool night sea. I eagerly suggested it to Mikhail, but he just laughed and reminded me that neither of us had swimsuits.

I thought for a minute, frowning with disappointment. Then with a grin, I grabbed his hand and dragged him back over to where we'd left our shoes. As we hurried back along the beach, I said, "If we don't have swimsuits, we'll just make do without!"

"What, swim in our clothes?" he asked, dubiously.

"No, silly—let's go skinny-dipping! It's dark enough that even if anyone was looking, they wouldn't be able to see anything, and the sound of the waves crashing will drown out any noise we might make. Doesn't that sound just marvelous? Slipping into the waves, the cool water swirling around our bare skin in the moonlight?"

"Well… I don't know…" he said hesitantly, looking torn.

"Come on, it'll be fun! I promise you'll enjoy it!"

"How do you know? What if I don't like to swim?"

"Well, first, I know you do enjoy it, and second, even if you didn't… well, I was right about the strawberries, wasn't I?"

He squeezed my hand, saying, "Yes, that's true. I'll never look at another strawberry without thinking of your kisses, so how can I help but enjoy them?"

We reached the edge of the dunes where we'd left our shoes, then with a furtive glance around, we stripped all our clothing off, setting it aside. Then we quickly ran to the water, diving in as soon as it was deep enough to swim.

As I predicted, the water felt amazing—so refreshing. We swam for a short while, until we nearly collided in the pale light of the as-yet rising moon. He started to move away, but I grabbed his arm to stop him, then threw my arms around his neck and kissed him, tangling my fingers in his hair and wrapping my legs around his waist while he stood on the sandy bottom, the water chest high on him as the waves ebbed and flowed over and around us. He held my thighs as I pressed myself against him—hot desire rushing through me at the sensation of his skin against mine.

The craving for his touch grew almost unbearable as I kissed him hungrily, sliding away from his lips and along his jaw line to caress his earlobe between my lips, then nibbling down his neck to his throat. He buried his face in my neck with a groan, kissing and sucking just at the base of my neck and leaving me breathless. I pulled his head to me and whispered throatily into his ear, "I want you, Mikhail. I want you so much."

He stiffened at my words, then, to my surprise, he carried me back up out of the water and to the beach, where he gently set me down.

"No, Alice. I'm sorry, but I can't," he said with a hint of regret in his voice and his eyes.

I stared at him, swaying slightly, dazed and in a fog from my desire and his rejection and the alcohol. After a moment, I stammered, "W-what? Why? I-I thought that you…."

"I do, Alice. I want you more than anything. But not like this. You're three sheets to the wind, my love. I could never take advantage of you. You've said yourself more than once that you want to wait until you're married, and I respect that. Even when it's agonizing to turn you down." He kissed the top of my head and began to lead me back to our clothing.

I threw my arms around his neck again, dragging him down on top of me as I fell backwards onto the sand. "No, Mikhail, I'm serious. I really do want you. Please, make love to me." He gently disentangled himself and opened his mouth to speak… but I passed out before he could say another word.

Bright sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains draped around my bed, dazzling my eyes and tormenting my throbbing head. I groaned, burying my face in my pillow as I tried not to provoke the pounding in my skull with sound or motion. After a moment, unable to bear the brilliant light any longer, I turned towards the middle of the bed to burrow down into the darkness under my covers. However, as I moved, two things happened in rapid succession that made me forget my agony for the moment. First, I realized I was stark naked in bed—which was very odd, as I _never_ slept in the buff.

Second, as I was trying to figure out what had become of my pajamas, I glanced around… and saw Mikhail lying sound asleep next to me, a contented smile on his lips.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	40. Chapter 39

**AN:** I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I'd love to hear what you think of it!

**Helen**—thank you so much for all the kind reviews! I'm delighted that you're enjoying the story so well. At this time, I'm not planning a sequel. I have many other stories bouncing around in my head waiting to be told, so they've got dibs on my time and attention. But if you enjoy this story, you might enjoy some of my others, too. And there's still a ways to go with this story—it's far from over! :)

So without further ado, here's today's chapter. Thank you for reading!

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><p>I felt the blood drain from my face as I stared at Mikhail's sleeping form, and with a gasp and a tiny shriek, I scrambled backwards and fell off the side of the bed, entangled in my sheets. The commotion awoke him, and he sat up, leaned over, and peered drowsily down at me as I lay on the floor, flustered and panicked.<p>

"Alice? What in the…?"

"Wh-what are you doing here? Why are you in bed with me? _Where are my clothes_?" I squeaked, wrapping the sheets tightly around me.

He stood up and came over, knelt next to me, and stroked my cheek. "Calm down, Alice. It's okay."

"No, it's _not_ okay! Why am I naked? What… what happened? What did we _do_?" My voice rose higher and I began to tremble as I teetered on the verge of hysteria.

He put his arms around me, saying, "Shhh. Listen, it's fine. You just had rather too much to drink last night, that's all."

"Then why were we in my bed? Together? Naked?!"

"I'm wearing boxers. Didn't you notice?" he said drily. I glanced down at his light blue striped shorts, then back up at him, bewildered. "Don't you remember anything from last night? You passed out, so I brought you back up here and put you to bed. Then I sat up next to you to make sure you'd be okay, but I must have fallen asleep."

"But… but… _naked_!" I stammered. I put my hands on my head, trying to think through the fog that seemed to envelop my aching brain. "I… I remember dinner, and drinking a lot of champagne and wine. Then… then the strawberries. And the cream. And kissing—lots of kissing. And we went for a walk on the beach…." I stopped, my head pounding too painfully to go on.

"Yes, that's right so far…." Mikhail prompted me encouragingly, sitting down next to me on the floor and putting his arm around my shoulders as he watched me.

I bit my lip and tried to focus again. "I… I remember it was so hot and the water felt so nice and cool…. Wait, we… we went skinny-dipping, didn't we?" He nodded his head as I turned red with embarrassment and buried my face in my hands.

"Do you remember anything else?" he asked after a moment.

I shook my head, then suddenly I _did_ recall… I looked up, almost dizzy with the shock of the memory. "Oh, gods and goddesses, I came onto you, didn't I? I was practically begging for it! Then you… then we… oh, my goddess, we did, didn't we?" And I started to cry.

"Shhh, calm down, Alice, it's okay. We didn't do anything. Keep thinking, see if you remember anything else from last night."

"R-r-really? But how… I was all over you! So…"

"_Think_."

I thought for a moment, fighting through the waves of panic and confusion. "Wait. It's coming back to me now. You're right—you refused me, didn't you?" I breathed a quavering sigh of relief—I hadn't broken my promise after all, in spite of myself, though it had been an awfully close call. I recognized that it was only due to Mikhail's actions that it remained unbroken, not mine. If he'd been less honorable, I would certainly not have made it through the night still untouched. "Then I… I remember trying _again_ to convince you to… to have sex with me, and that's the last thing I remember… until I woke up in my bed, naked, with this pounding headache. But we… we _really_ didn't do anything?"

"Really," he said with a half-smile. "Though I admit that it wasn't easy to restrain myself."

I leaned over and rested my cheek on his shoulder. "Thank you," I whispered. He just squeezed my shoulders in reply as we sat on the floor.

After a moment, he said, "Anyway, as for the rest of the night, you passed out on the beach shortly after propositioning me—and it was a good thing for your promise that you did, too, because I wasn't sure how much longer I could resist you. You were very persuasive in your, ah, your arguments. Then I pulled my pants on, wrapped my shirt around you, grabbed the rest of our clothes, and carried you up to your room. Luckily, no one saw us. I got you into your bed, but by then I'm afraid I was too wiped out to dress you in your nightclothes—even if I could have found them, that is. I was somewhat inebriated myself, though much less so than you were. So I tucked you in, then sat up next to you to keep an eye on you. I was afraid you might become ill, but after a while you seemed to just be sleeping peacefully. By then, I was barely able to keep my eyes open, and I suppose I simply fell asleep. I'm sorry for startling you like that, and that you drew the wrong conclusion from my presence."

I shook my head. "No, I'm glad you were there for me. I was just confused and shocked because, well, waking up naked in bed with you… it _seemed_ like the obvious conclusion."

He lifted my chin up and looked into my eyes. "I know there have been times when I've been angry and not… not as gentle with you as I should have been. But please believe me when I say that I would never take advantage of you when you're vulnerable."

I nodded, and he stroked my cheek gently as I said, "Yes, I do believe you. And… and I see now that I _can_ trust you, no matter what might have happened in your past."

A short while later, he dressed and left, intending to stop by his room and change, then find us some breakfast, since the house breakfast was long since finished. While he was gone, I took a shower and dressed. As I showered, I had a long, hard think about last night. Could I _really_ say that I'd kept my vow? Just because technically it hadn't been broken, as I was still a virgin, I had at the very least broken it in spirit and intent, hadn't I? At least, I'd been not even just willing but actively trying to break it, and wasn't that almost the same as actually breaking it? I pondered that conundrum until the water cooled and I shut it off; I wasn't able to come to a conclusion, so I decided to let it be—for now, anyway. But I knew that sooner or later, I would have to tell Cam—the sooner the better, really. And I didn't much look forward to that conversation.

Thankfully, the weather had changed overnight—a few fluffy, white clouds had moved in, and the breeze had picked up. It was a pleasantly mild day—neither too hot nor too cool. After I'd put on the sundress I'd picked out, I went downstairs to try to find some aspirin. I caught up to Mrs. Cavell bustling around her front parlor, dusting her shelves of bric-a-brac and humming a cheerful tune. I asked her if she had any aspirin that she'd be willing to give me, and she hurried off, telling me to wait right there.

A few minutes later, she returned with a large bottle of pills and a tall glass of tomato juice. "Here my dear, drink this first, then take two aspirin. You look rather, ah, delicate this morning. A little too much wine last night, perhaps?"

"Just a bit," I replied, wincing. I took a sip and half choked. "This is… umm… very interesting tomato juice."

"Oh, it's not tomato juice, dearie, it's a Bloody Mary. Tomato juice with vodka and some seasonings to add a little kick. My sister, who manages an inn away to the south, swears by them as a morning-after cure. There's just a enough vodka to be the hair of the dog. So bottoms up, and soon you'll be back to your usual sunny self!" I took another sip, then drank it down quickly, swallowing two tablets with the last little bit of it. I returned the glass and thanked her before creeping upstairs to my room to await Mikhail's return.

I curled up on my bed while I waited, still drained from the night before. Apparently I fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, Mikhail was sitting on the edge of the bed next to me, gently stroking my hair. "Hello, sweetheart," he said when I opened my eyes. "I hated to wake you, but I didn't think you'd care much for lukewarm coffee."

I just smiled up at him, still half-asleep, admiring the way the softly filtered sunlight set his platinum hair aglow and sparkled across his ice-blue eyes. I reached out a hand to his cheek, caressing his jaw line. He took my hand and kissed it, then stood and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, darling. You need to eat something, and the coffee will help wake you up."

We sat out on the balcony and ate croissants and sipped strong, black coffee. The deliciously fresh breeze on my face woke me up and helped my appetite to return. By the time I'd eaten the last bite of the crisp, flaky pastry and finished all but the dregs of my coffee, I felt much better. I don't know if it was due to the meal, the salty sea air, the aspirin, or Mrs. Cavell's concoction, but whatever the cause, I was relieved that the pain had subsided to a more tolerable level.

"The last of the engagements I had made prior to your arrival will be on Monday," Mikhail said after we finished eating. "I have a friend who is a luthier. He operates a small school teaching lutherie as well as the construction of other instruments, and he has asked me as a personal favor to perform at the entrance ceremony that morning. Unfortunately, I won't be able to invite you to join me this time, but I should be free that afternoon and evening. Then there's something that I would normally attend Tuesday night—I think you'd enjoy it, but if you aren't interested, I'm under no obligation to go."

"What is it?"

"I meet up with a few friends each week to play music. It's fun and inspiring to play with other musicians, all with different instruments and different training and tastes. Usually we gather at Stuart's house, but this time Erik, my host, will be taking over for him. You would, of course, be more than welcome to bring your violin and join in. It's really just a bunch of friends meeting up to enjoy some music together."

"It sounds fun! I'd love to come along, if I won't be in the way. And I'll bring my instrument, though I'm not sure if I'd feel like playing it in front of a bunch of strangers."

"I'm sure they'll love you as well as your music, so you have nothing to worry about," he said with a smile.

"Well… if I'm going to play with your friends, I should probably practice—I've hardly touched it this past week!" So we went for a stroll through town, had some lunch, and then stopped to pick up his violin before returning to my room, where we spent the afternoon playing.

We dined that evening at a nearby trattoria, then afterwards he walked me back to my door. He gave me a leisurely kiss, then turned to leave. He took a few steps, then looked back at me with a smile, and said, "You know, my love, we really _do_ make beautiful music together."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	41. Chapter 40

**AN:** Somewhat longish chapter. A little... well, not really lime—kumquat maybe? I hope you enjoy it, whatever it is! Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear how you like it!

**SpaceDoobie:** Your review cracked me up, thanks! XD

**Helen:** I'll update my profile with some of my upcoming projects when I have time. I have one started that is set in the HM:ANB world, as well as a couple more in the RF4 world. I'm super excited to get to work on them! (Btw, if you care to, you can set up an account here on & then you can just PM me questions! ;) )

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><p>Saturday was Beth's twenty-first birthday—her first day of real freedom from her mother. Accordingly, she decided not to go to her own party, the party her mother had planned for her against her wishes. It was to be an elegant—or "boring", in her words—affair: dinner and dancing, music, champagne… the works. The sort of thing she hated, in fact. So while her mother was no doubt fuming at the hotel where the event was to have occurred, she and Mikhail and I, along with a few other friends of hers, instead spent the day sailing lazily along the coastline in her father's—now her—sailboat.<p>

For a birthday present for her, I'd written to my mother and had her send me a copy of a photograph of Ruby, then trimmed it down and slipped it into a pretty locket. The locket itself was gold, with a tiny heart-shaped ruby set in the front. Beth was delighted with it, and even teared up a little as she stared at the small photo before throwing her arms around me and hugging me hard in thanks.

The next day, Mikhail and I took a picnic lunch to the beach, then spent the rest of the day relaxing there, sometimes in the sun and sometimes in the shade—reading Tennyson together, chatting, or just lying quietly side by side, holding hands. We dined again at Chez Étienne Par la Mer, and afterwards I listened as he rehearsed the pieces he planned to perform the following morning, which were intended to highlight the versatility of his favored instrument.

Monday, I'd arranged to meet Beth for shopping and lunch. I had a few more people to buy souvenirs for, and I wanted to look for a present for Cam, too, as I'd be returning home on his birthday. Beth was curious when I explained for whom I was buying a gift, so as we shopped, I gave her an abbreviated history of my double romance. She was intrigued by the whole situation, and begged me to let her know who I picked in the end and to be sure to invite her to the wedding. I laughed and agreed—as long as her mother stayed at home. "No fear!" she said emphatically, and we laughed again as we walked along the sidewalk.

By lunchtime, I still hadn't found anything, and I was supposed to meet Mikhail at my room in just over an hour. "Well… what does he like?" Beth asked after we'd ordered.

"His favorite things are flowers… cats… going for long walks… spicy food… and not a whole lot else! I mean, he's pretty laid back and there's lots that he _likes_, but I don't want to get him a present that's just okay."

"Well… take him out to dinner? Or make him a romantic dinner for two?"

"There are only two restaurants between the two towns on the mountain. One of them he doesn't care for, and the other one is the one run by the people he lives with. I'd love to make him dinner, but my brother will still be there." Then suddenly something clicked, and I sat bolt upright. "Or wait! Maybe he could stay with one of the other guys in town for the night so I can have the house to myself! He seemed like he hit it off with Dirk pretty well, and Kana's always dependable. I'll write to him today and see if he would do that for me. Then I can have Cam come over for dinner, and we can have some quiet time alone to catch up. Oh, that's perfect—I hope Rob is willing!"

After lunch, I hurried back to my room and wrote a quick note to Rob, asking him if he could please do that for me and to let me know as soon as possible so that I could make my plans. I sealed and stamped the envelope just as Mikhail knocked on my door, so I dropped the letter in the outgoing mail basket as we left. Mikhail smiled at me as we stepped outside, saying he'd arranged a little surprise for me, and he led me down to the beach.

Standing, waiting for us, was a pair of beautiful white horses, held by a boy who looked to be about fourteen. I stopped and looked up at Mikhail in astonishment, and he smiled. "I arranged to lease them for the afternoon. I thought you must be missing your horse, given that you spent nearly as much time in the saddle as out of it."

"I _do_ miss her—I love horseback riding. But… do you know how to ride?"

"Only just barely," he replied with a grin. "I thought perhaps you could teach me?"

"I'd love to!" I exclaimed, pulling him with me to make their acquaintances. The lad pointed out the quieter of the two and offered me a boost, which I declined, opting instead to let Mikhail have the more gentle mount.

We spent the afternoon riding on the beach, splashing through the surf. By dinnertime, his riding had improved immensely—he'd make a fine equestrian, if he chose. However, I warned him that he would almost certainly be stiff and sore the next morning, and to be sure to stretch and take a hot bath before going to bed.

We had dinner at a sushi bar, then we walked back to the guest house. I told him to go home and get to bed early, as he was tired from the day's riding, and reminded him again to stretch and take a hot bath. He said he'd come over after breakfast and we'd decide how to spend our day then. Then he kissed me good night, and I went to take a long, hot bath myself.

I was a little stiff in the morning, since I hadn't been riding in over a week, but by the time I'd showered and dressed, I was moving much more easily. I went down to breakfast, then returned to my room to read while I waited for Mikhail.

I looked up after a while, and to my surprise, I saw that it had been well over an hour since I'd come back upstairs, and still no sign of Mikhail. Feeling some concern, I decided to just walk over and see what was going on. It was very unlike him to stand me up, let alone without sending word.

I arrived at his host's house and knocked on the door. A tall, skinny, dark-haired man opened the door to me. "Yes?" he asked, glancing me over as if trying to decide what I was selling.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Mikhail. Is he home? I'm Alice, by the way"

"Ah, yes, I've heard about you. I'm Erik. No idea if he's in or not, but you can go take a look if you want. His room's at the top of the stairs."

I thanked him and went upstairs. I tapped on Mikhail's door and got no answer, so I knocked again a little louder. I heard a groan, and a muffled voice said "Ugh, Erik, just go away and leave me alone."

I opened the door and peered into the dimly lit room. "Mikhail?" I asked, uncertainly.

"Alice? Is that you? What are you doing here so early?" came a voice from the mound of bedding in the middle of his bed.

"It's hardly early—it's nearly eleven. Are you… are you okay?"

"No, I'm _not_ okay. You told me I might be sore today. You didn't warn me that I might die!"

"What?" I exclaimed, hurrying over. "Mikhail, what's wrong?" I pulled the blankets down and found him laying there on his stomach, still in his boxers.

"I can't move, that's what's wrong. I mean it, I'm so sore I can't even roll over, let alone stand up. Don't _laugh_, it's not funny!" he added in exasperation as I stifled a giggle.

"I'm sorry, Mikhail, and you're right—it's _not_ funny, at least, not when you're experiencing it. Believe me, I've been there before myself, even if it was a long time ago. Did you stretch out and take a hot bath, like I told you?" He shook his head, or tried to. I sighed, saying, "Well, I guess you learned your lesson. Here, I know just what to do. I'll be right back—don't move!"

"Very funny," he muttered as I ran out the door, again trying not to laugh.

I found Erik and persuaded him to give me the things I needed: a tube of lotion, two towels, some aspirin, and something to eat and drink. I warned him that he might hear some loud noises coming from Mikhail's room and not to worry about it—at which statement he glanced at the things in my arms and gave me a rather odd look—then I dashed back upstairs.

"Okay, this might hurt a little at first, but bear with me—I really do know what I'm doing. I'll need to rub your muscles, and that includes the muscles of your rear end—just to warn you." While he mumbled some unintelligible exclamations into his pillow, I straddled his back, facing towards his feet, and began to work the muscles along the backs of his legs, starting at his backside and working slowly down to his ankles. After I'd massaged his legs for a while, I turned around and straddled his thighs to work the muscles of his back, shoulders, and neck. When I was done with that, I helped him to roll over—he was moving a little more easily, but not much—and straddled his stomach to work the fronts of his legs. When I'd finished his legs, I once again turned around and straddled his thighs to work on his abdominal muscles, his chest, and his shoulders.

As I sprawled across him, I suddenly noticed something twitching underneath me, startling me. I jumped, then turned bright red as I realized the cause. "Mikhail!" I exclaimed reprovingly, pausing to glare at him.

"Sorry! Honestly, I can't help it! That's just about the only part of me that _can_ move easily right now. And if I didn't hurt so bloody much, this _would_ be pretty, ah, stimulating, you know," he said through gritted teeth as I returned to working on his shoulders.

"Well… I'll let it go this time, if only because I feel badly for not making _sure_ you followed my advice." I finished massaging his front side, then I climbed down and stood up. Next, I helped him stretch, which elicited a few more exclamations as I moved his legs to stretch them out. Then I sat him up on the edge of the bed, massaged his arms, and helped him to stretch them. By the time I was done, I'd been massaging and stretching his muscles for a couple of hours—but at least he was able to move, albeit somewhat stiffly still. I went down the hall and drew a very hot bath, then pushed him into the bathroom and told him to soak until the water cooled, and to shout if he got stuck and needed help. Then I went back to his room and flopped down tiredly on his bed to rest while he bathed, my arms aching from the exertion.

Half an hour or so later, he returned. He still moved a little stiffly, but he seemed greatly improved. I stepped out into the hall to wait while he dressed, then stood over him while he ate the sandwich I'd brought up and swallowed the aspirin.

"Thanks for your help, Alice. I'm feeling much better now. I'm sorry to have troubled you—I should have taken your advice. It's just that I didn't really feel too bad last night, so…."

"Well, how long has it been, anyway, since you last rode a horse?"

"Hmmm… maybe six years?" he replied, a little sheepishly.

My jaw dropped in astonishment. "Six… _years_? Oh, for the Harvest Goddess's sake, Mikhail—you rode for over five hours yesterday! No _wonder_ you couldn't move this morning! If I'd known… I should have checked with you. I was just so thrilled, I didn't stop to think. I'm so sorry for putting you through that."

He took my hand and pulled me down onto his lap to give me a kiss. "Don't worry about it. It was worth it to see the delight on your face. Besides, I think that massage more than made up for any discomfort," he said with a mischievous grin, laughing and ducking away as I attempted to bop him on his arm.

"Well, you're _obviously_ feeling better," I said, pretending to be in a huff. "So I'll be on my way, before you think of another excuse to get me to crawl all over your semi-naked body with a tube of lotion."

Still laughing, he grabbed my hand as I stood up. "Okay, okay. I'll behave. I promise."

"Well, then, we still have a few hours before your music klatsch. What do you want to do?"

"Well, probably _not_ ride horses," he said, wincing as he rotated his shoulder. "I hope I can still play tonight."

"As long as you keep moving and don't just sit around, I'm sure you'll be fine. I have some shopping to do—why don't you come with me? It might not be scintillating entertainment, but it will at least keep you moving."

"Hmm. I'm not much of a shopper. But if it's with you…. I guess it won't kill me."

"Good to know that you don't hate spending time with me _too_ much," I said drily.

I had a few people that I had yet to find suitable souvenirs for, despite searching through every shop in town—or so I thought. But Mikhail knew of a few places that I hadn't yet discovered, and so with his help, I finally finished the last of my shopping just in time for dinner. We dropped off my packages and picked up my violin. Then we dropped by Erik's house to leave my instrument there. Erik looked frazzled, trying to get ready, so we decided to go pick up some Chinese take-out and bring it back to share with him. Afterwards, we helped him with cleaning. Mikhail hadn't seen me engaged in serious housework before, and both men were amazed by my efficiency and thoroughness. In no time at all, the house was tidy and clean, snacks and drinks were arranged on the table and sideboard in his dining room, and chairs and music stands were set up in his living room.

Mikhail and I fetched our instruments, picked a pair of seats, and began to tune our violins. While we were doing that, Erik fetched his instrument—he played the oboe—and soon afterwards people began to arrive. All in all, about twelve more showed up, some of whom I recognized from Stuart's wedding, although Stuart and Elena were themselves absent, as they were still on their honeymoon. Mikhail introduced me around, and after some cheerful commotion, everyone settled in and prepared their instruments.

There was quite a variety represented there, including a one person who had multiple instruments. Besides our violins and Erik's oboe, there was a flute, a pair of clarinets, a recorder, a mandolin, a double bass, a set of pan pipes, an ocarina, a lap harp, a French horn, two saxophones, a snare drum, and two vocalists.

As the host, Erik had selected and provided the evening's music. Mikhail and I shared a stand, all the easier as we played the same instrument. We glanced over the first selection, which happened to be Peter and the Wolf—a childhood favorite of mine. Mikhail marked our parts, and before long, we all began to play, one of the vocalists doubling as conductor.

We played well into the night, pausing after each piece to stretch our legs and discuss the music as well as to grab refreshments. I was nervous at first—shy about playing in front of so many strangers, but everyone was very welcoming and several even complimented my performance. Soon I'd relaxed and begun to genuinely enjoy myself.

Mikhail laughed when he left for a few minutes at one point to get us some coffee and start another pot brewing, and upon his return, he found me deep in discussion with the bassist, Rémy, the mandolinist, Franz, the vocalist and conductor, Tom, and one of the sax players, Duncan , debating the relative merits of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Debussy. I looked up at him, startled by his laughter, and he grinned at me as he handed me the coffee, "I step away for ten minutes, and when I return, I find you already holding court. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, and it seems my friends approve of you—of course, how could they not?"

It was well past midnight when we finally broke up and headed for our various homes, and by then, I was pretty exhausted. Mikhail saw me home, then came up for some coffee before returning to his room. As I sat down on the loveseat next to him, handing him a mug of coffee, I looked over at him and said, "Well… this is it. Tomorrow's my last day here. Thursday morning, bright and early, I go home."

Mikhail drew his brows together. "So soon… time has just flown by these past two weeks. Well, I hope you'll allow me to spend your last day with you?"

"I was hoping you'd say that," I smiled at him. "Are you still planning to return to Konohana?"

"Certainly. Wild horses couldn't keep me away. But I won't be able to leave until next week. There's a luthier's conference this weekend, and I've been engaged to perform Friday evening as well as asked to be on a panel of judges for a lutherie competition Sunday morning. I plan to leave next Monday, but I intend to stop to visit a friend who lives along the way. He'll bring me the rest of the way late Monday night or Tuesday morning."

I nodded as I sipped my coffee. "Then… it'll be nearly a week before I see you."

"I'm afraid so. I'd cancel if I could, but to do so on such short notice would leave them in a bind."

"No, no—it's fine. It'll just feel a little odd, we've spent so much time together the past several days."

"Yes, we've been fairly inseparable," he replied with a smile, reaching to give my hand a squeeze before putting his arm around my shoulders.

When we'd finished our coffee, I saw him to the door. I kissed him, slowly, then he said, "I'll be over early, so that we may spend as much time together as possible before you leave." He kissed me again, then held my face in his hands and gazed into my eyes as if searching for something. With another quick kiss, he was gone.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	42. Chapter 41

**AN:** Warning, this chapter is really limey. Or lemony, depending on where you draw the line. Limony? Anyway, **this chapter is rated M**, so if you are bothered by such things, or if you shouldn't be reading it at all, please don't read this chapter! The next chapter will be back to a T rating.

Speaking of which... I'm taking a short break to try to catch up-on sleep, as well as on writing! My schedule lately has been really hectic. So **I'll be posting the next chapter Monday, October 6**.

**Helen:** No, of course I don't mind! I love reading your comments. :) I only suggested it for those times when things are a little off-topic for using ratings and author's notes. If you do make an account, please do PM me-I'd love to hear from you. You'd also have the added benefit of being able to follow and/or favorite the authors & stories you like. Bonus!

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><p>I started packing first thing in the morning, before going down to breakfast. By the time Mrs. Cavell was serving breakfast, I'd finished packing all the souvenirs I'd purchased—a suitcase full of gifts. The only gift I hadn't packed was the memento for Mikhail: a photograph of the two of us on horseback, framed in a silver frame that was just perfect for him—embossed and engraved with vines and roses and little songbirds, with a violin in one corner. I placed the photo inside the frame and wrapped it in tissue paper, tied it with a velvet ribbon, and tucked a dried rosebud into the bow. Then I set it aside and went to join the other guests at the table.<p>

Halfway through the meal, I heard the front door, and a moment later, Mikhail stepped into the dining room. I hurried through the rest of my breakfast and joined him in the front parlor. He looked tired and pale that morning, but when I remarked on him looking unwell, he just said he'd slept poorly the night before.

He followed me up to my room, where I gave him his gift. He seemed pleased by it—the photo as well as the frame—and sat inspecting it for several minutes while I set out the clothes I'd need for the night and tomorrow, then began packing the rest. After a little while, he looked up as I pulled clothing out of the closet to fold and pack. Setting the photo carefully on the table, he came over and put his arms around me. "Be sure you leave your nicest dress out," he murmured.

I turned and looked at him in surprise. "Oh? Do we have plans?"

He smiled at me. "Indeed we do." He gave me a kiss on the top of my head, then said, "Now, I'm finding all this packing to be a depressing reminder that our remaining time together is very short. Is there anything I can do to help you get it done more quickly so that we can go enjoy ourselves somewhere?"

In the end, I pulled out the clothes I wanted packed, then he folded them before I placed them in my luggage. I gave him a choice of three dresses and let him pick the one for me to wear that night, not knowing what he had in mind. He looked them over: the grey dress I'd worn our first night out, a dark gold halter dress, and a long black dress with a deeply plunging neckline and a lacey back. He seemed torn between the gold dress and the black, but finally he chose the black. I hung it up again, set aside the shoes and things I'd need to go with it, and finished packing.

After my packing was done, we spent the rest of the day revisiting some of the places we'd enjoyed most as well as exploring a few new ones. We stopped for lunch at my favorite sidewalk café, so that I could enjoy one last meal there, and lingered over coffee as we watched passersby.

Mikhail returned me to my room at five, saying he'd be back at half past six to pick me up. He gave me a lingering kiss, then hurried off. I showered and styled my hair, did my nails and my makeup, and dressed. I was just putting in little gold earrings when he knocked on my door.

I opened the door and let him in, but he stood still in the doorway for a moment, just looking at me. "You look… incredible. If I hadn't made reservations, I'd be strongly tempted to stay in instead," he finally said when he'd finished staring at me.

I blushed a little and reached up to straighten his tie to cover my embarrassment. "You look quite dashing yourself, you know," I replied with a smile, admiring his evening attire.

He'd hired a cab, as he said it was too far to walk even on a night as beautiful as this. Our destination turned out to be a hotel and restaurant designed to imitate a French chateau, located just outside a nearby, larger town. The hotel was called the Hôtel Château de la Belle Vue, and the restaurant was styled the Salle à Manger de la Belle Vue. The restaurant offered live music and ballroom dancing Saturday evenings throughout the year, but during the summer months, they apparently expanded it to five nights a week in order to cater to the tourists. The menu, written entirely in French, featured French haute cuisine. The music alternated between a string quartet, a piano trio, and a flute quartet; the dances included waltzes, foxtrots, and more. I wasn't as familiar with ballroom dances as I was the folk dances I'd been raised with, but I wasn't worried—I loved to dance, and knew I'd figure it out sooner or later.

Fortunately, Mikhail was an excellent dancer, and he led me through a number of dances that evening. The dinner was marvelous. Although I could read French reasonably well, I allowed him to order for me. He selected oysters, artichoke soup, and a salad of frisée topped with eggs for both of us, then he chose the lobster for me and the filet mignon for himself. He also ordered both champagne and wine—but I drank far more moderately this time, having already learned my lesson. Finally, we completed our meal with coffee and chocolate soufflé.

At the end of the evening, we took a cab back to my room, where I offered him a nightcap. He accepted a small glass of hazelnut liqueur, and we sat in the sitting area. He seemed a little on edge, and I wondered if it was due to my impending departure.

As I sipped my liqueur and wondered about his demeanor, he sat up and set his glass down. He took my glass and set it down, as well, then took my hands and looked wistfully into my eyes.

"Alice," he said after a lengthy pause, "every day I love you more and more. I wish with all my heart that I could go back and alter those eight years we were separated one from the other, so that we had never parted at all but instead shared our lives. I can't change the past, but I _do_ hope for the future. I want to be absolutely clear about this, so that there aren't any misunderstandings between us."

He rose, then knelt down on the floor before me. "Alice, my dearest, my love. I want to spend the rest of my life with you… to grow old with you… to see you the first thing when I open my eyes each morning, and the last thing before I close them at night. Darling, will you marry me?"

I gasped, speechless for the moment. He reached up and stroked my cheek, saying, "You don't have to answer me right now. I know you haven't completed your… your test. But I want to be sure you understand just how serious I am about you. When I return to Konohana, you can give me your answer then, if you are ready. However…."

He stood and pulled me up, then embraced me tightly. Whispering softly, he said, "Will you let me stay with you tonight? I promise I won't break your vow. I just… don't want to let you go."

I pulled back and gave him a long look as I thought it over. I thought I already had an idea of how I would answer both proposals, though I wasn't quite yet certain. In the meantime…. I walked over to my bed, folded back the covers, and sat down on the edge to remove my shoes and earrings. Standing again and looking back to Mikhail, who was watching me with an uncertain look on his face, I asked if he'd please help me with my dress.

His whole face lit up with mingled joy and relief, and he strode over to unzip me. Turning to face him, I looked him steadily in the eyes, and said, "You may stay with me tonight. But I don't want to break my promise. So… the panties stay on." Then I slipped my dress off my shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

Mikhail inhaled sharply as he looked at me standing there, wearing nothing but a little black thong and garter belt and black stockings. I unfastened the garter clips and removed the belt, then I sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully pulled off the stockings, too. Then, clad only in my thong panties, I dropped my discarded clothing into the laundry basket in the bathroom, washed my face, and brushed my teeth and my hair. Meanwhile, Mikhail undressed down to his boxers, laying his clothes on the loveseat, then sat on the bed and waited for me.

He quickly stood up when I returned, and coming up to me, he put his arms around me and began to kiss me. He lifted me up and placed me gently on the bed before sliding in alongside me. Tentatively at first, as if fearing I'd change my mind, he slowly began to caress me, one hand cradling my head while the other gently stroked my shoulder and down my arm, then along my side. I placed one hand lightly on the back of his neck as I returned his kiss, and with the other hand, ran my fingertips lightly up and down his spine and over his shoulders. Although he didn't have Kana's bulky, well-defined muscles, I could feel them, taut under his skin, and once again was reminded of a wild cat poised to spring.

As I returned his caresses, Mikhail gradually relaxed and became more confident. Somewhere in the back of my mind it struck me as strangely funny that someone who had several years' experiences with more mature women could suddenly be so apprehensive with a virgin. I think that's when it really hit home just how deeply he cared, so deeply in fact that it frightened him and left him feeling vulnerable.

As his confidence increased, his hands began to wander until he was caressing my breast, running his fingertips in concentric circles around my areola until at last he reached my nipple at the center. I gasped, a wave of heat washing over me as he gently rubbed it between the calloused tips of his fingers, feeling it contract and harden at his touch. I began to feel a tightening in the pit of my stomach—a sharp, but not unpleasant, ache deep inside me—as he continued to stroke my breast and nipple.

I pulled him down closer to me and kissed him more urgently as the pressure in my belly began to build, making me squirm a little beneath him. I scraped my fingernails down his back and felt him gasp into my mouth, then he, too, began to kiss me harder—hungrily, as if wanting to taste and caress everywhere all at once. Then he pulled back and kissed first my upper lip, then my lower, and then across my cheek and down to my neck. He kissed down my neck, gently sucking and biting as he went, until he reached the point just above my collarbone, then he moved down to my breast.

I smothered a small cry when he cupped my breast in his hand and took my nipple into his mouth, gently sucking as his tongue caressed it and swirled around it. The ache intensified and I felt little shocks, like pulses of electricity, tingling through my stomach and thighs.

He released my breast and began to kiss my throat as he slid his hand down, gently massaging my stomach. The tips of his fingers started to slide beneath my panties, then he stopped. He raised himself up and looked into my eyes, then he leaned down and whispered in a husky, seductive voice, "May I?" I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He leaned back down to kiss me, then he gently moved my legs apart. He slid his hand down beneath the black silk, and at his touch, I felt as if I was on fire. I was caught up in a whirlwind of confusion, wanting him to stop and not stop, to do… _something_…. I just didn't know what.

However, he knew, and he gently began to touch me in a way that both hurt a little and inflamed me a lot. He gradually began to caress me more and more rapidly, and before long I felt as though I was riding on the crest of a wave. Then the wave crashed all around me in an explosion of light and color, and gasping, I felt myself convulsing helplessly beneath his hand.

When the crashing and twitching and breathlessness subsided, I looked up at him, red with embarrassment. He gazed into my eyes with a tender, adoring look and a smile on his lips. "Wh-what _was_ that? What just happened?" I asked.

His expression changed to one of surprise. "You mean you don't know? You've never had an orgasm until now? Has no one ever touched you like that before, not even you yourself?"

My eyes opened wide and I clapped my hand over my mouth. "Is… is that what it was? No, I haven't... I mean, _hadn't_… ever had one. You know, being a virgin and all…." I looked away, feeling my face flush even more red and wondering if he'd expected me to have had at least that much experience.

His expression softened and he cupped my cheek in his hand, turning my face back to him as he gazed into my eyes. "You know, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I should have guessed, or at least asked." He nestled down against me, nuzzling my neck and resting his hand on my hip. "Thank you for letting me be the first to give you that gift," he whispered.

He held me in his arms afterwards, and soon his breathing slowed and deepened as he fell asleep. As I began to drift off, too, I thought to myself that I _really_ didn't look forward to telling Cam about _this_ night.

I'd set an alarm clock to wake me extra early, as I needed to be at the station before nine. I was very tired when it went off in the morning, after the unusually late night, and Mikhail was loathe to let go of me, making it even harder to get out of bed.

Eventually I dragged myself up and, seeing the time, hurried to dress and pack the last few items. Mikhail pulled on his trousers and shirt, carrying his jacket and tie. He helped me carry my luggage to the car, then waited while I settled my bill with Mrs. Cavell.

We made it to the station with very little time to spare. Mikhail flagged down a porter to take my luggage, and then it was time to say goodbye. Time was short, and so our farewell was necessarily brief. He looked down at me, caressing my cheek, and then bent to kiss me. "You know," he said, "I really do love you, more than I can say. Have a safe journey, my love, and I'll join you soon. And I hope you will have an answer to my question by then."

I kissed him back and held him tightly for a minute, pressing my face against his chest and breathing deeply of the faint traces of his cologne. "Goodbye, Mikhail. Take care, and I'll see you soon," I replied, then I turned and ran to hop onto the train as it began to slowly move along the tracks.

I looked out the window and watched him as the train moved away. The image of him standing alone on the platform, watching me go away from him, stayed with me for the duration of the trip.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	43. Chapter 42

**AN:** I know, I'm taking a "break"—but I wanted to post this mini-chapter anyway. Just think of it as a surprise bonus! It's itty bitty, but I think it's kind of nice. I hope you're enjoying the story, thanks for reading! I'll be back in a few days with more of the story!

**SpaceDoobie:** You're welcome :)

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><p>The train pulled in at my stop just a few minutes past noon. Kana had offered to take the day off to pick me up, saying that it would be a good chance to work a pair of horses he'd been training to drive. He was waiting for me, standing next to his horses and cart when I arrived. He helped me fetch my luggage and load it into his cart, and we set off towards the village. We chatted along the way about my trip, and he caught me up on all the local gossip.<p>

"Hey, uh," he said during a lull in the conversation, "I don't know what might or might not have happened between you and Mikhail while you were away—and don't get me wrong, I'm not poking my nose in. It's none of my business. But, well, could ya kinda take it easy with Cam? Georgia says he's been moping around the whole time you've been gone, looking totally lost. So…."

I nodded. "Thanks, Kana. I appreciate the warning. Today's his birthday, so before I do anything else, I want to track him down and invite him over for dinner. By the way, I can't thank you enough for letting Rob stay with you tonight."

"No problem! He's a good kid. He's a lot like you, ya know that? Nice guy, hard worker, real friendly."

"Yeah, we're really good friends. We fought some as kids, but we were still more like buddies than siblings. I've really missed him since I moved away. I need to add some rooms to my house so I can have him come out to visit again."

"Hey, yeah, that'd be cool! I bet he'd like that!"

We reached my farm around half past two. I gave Rob a huge hug, then the three of us hauled my suitcases in. The guys returned to Kana's house, where I was told Kana was going to teach Rob how to cook a "boss curry" and watch some kung-fu movies. I wondered if Rob had missed having a television—or if he'd been too busy to care.

First thing, before inspecting my farm even, I took a really quick shower and changed, then dashed over to Bluebell to find Cam.

As usual for his day off, he was hanging around the river shallows. I spotted him sitting on the grass with his back to the trail, just staring at the river as he skipped pebbles across the surface. "Cam?" I called out to him.

He jumped up and whirled around, his expression changing from melancholic to elated in the blink of an eye. "Alice?" he said, staring at me as if he wasn't quite sure I was real. "You're back!"

He ran up and grabbed me, lifting me up in a bear hug and spinning around with me, both of us laughing, until he grew dizzy and we fell over in a giggling heap on the riverbank. He pulled me close and held me tightly, but not before I spotted tears in the corners of his eyes. I wiped the tears gently from his eyes and kissed him, then held him, exhaling a long sigh of sheer bliss.

I was home.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	44. Chapter 43

**AN:** I'm back, with a few chapters finished and ready to post and still more ready to be written! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy today's chapter!

**AN2:** By the way, in case you missed it, **I did post one little bonus chapter during my break**. So if you haven't already read it, please do—it kind of sets up some of what happens in this chapter!

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><p>Cam gladly accepted my invitation to dinner for his birthday, but when I suggested he come over around seven, he looked a little crestfallen.<p>

"Is anything wrong?" I asked, looking up at him anxiously.

"No… well, it's just…." He hesitated and looked away.

"Just…?"

"It's just that I've missed you so much, and… and you've just gotten home, and now… you're already leaving again."

I smiled up at him and said, "I'm only going to my house, Cam, not somewhere far away."

"I know, but…."

"Well, why don't you come with me then? It won't be very exciting, you know—I'll be checking my farm, cleaning house, cooking… that sort of thing. But if you don't mind being bored out of your skull…."

"Not with _you_, I won't be," he replied, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

We returned to my farm, where I inspected my animals first, then my fields. My animals all looked healthy and happy, and my alpaca and dogs were particularly happy to see me. My dogs ran around like they'd gone mad with joy, and my alpaca danced happily from one end of the pasture to the other and back again. The fields were empty, tilled and ready for the Fall planting, just as they should be at the start of the season, and my fruit trees were all well-tended, with apples, grapes, and tea leaves all nearing harvest. It looked like Rob had done well in my absence—not that I'd expected any less from him.

After my tour was completed, we went inside. Cam offered to make tea while I started to unpack, and I gladly accepted. I unpacked and sorted my clothes, thinking that I absolutely had to do laundry the next day, no matter what the weather—if it rained, I'd just have to hang them out on the porch to dry.

When I came to my long black dress, which had been shoved into a suitcase with the garter belt and stockings still with it, I blushed, recalling that last night. Cam noticed me turning red as I looked at the clothes in my hands, and after a moment, he said, "So… how was your vacation?"

Fighting the deeper red that I could feel creeping into my cheeks and failing, I finally said, "It was… it was nice. To be honest, Cam, I spent quite a lot of my time with Mikhail. But let's save that conversation for later, okay?"

He looked away and nodded, somewhat tersely. I set the dress down and went over to him, putting my arms around him and pressing my cheek against his chest. "Hey, I'm here with you now, right? I really just want to enjoy your company." I pulled him down to give him a kiss, then whispered, "I've missed you, too, very much." He relaxed then, and smiled as he returned my kiss.

After I finished unpacking my clothes and things, I took out the suitcase full of souvenirs. Cam whistled when he saw how many there were, and I laughed. "I have something here for everyone in both towns, so I've got a lot of wrapping to do! I wrapped yours already, though, so it would be ready for you when I arrived." I dug through until I found his, then handed them over to him.

He unwrapped them, and exclaimed in delight at the selection of unusual seeds. I pulled him over to the sofa, and we looked through the book together. I pointed out the places in it that I'd visited, and described some of the details that the book left out. I had tucked in some photographs of some of the gardens, too—different views that I thought he might enjoy—and even a few pressed flowers from blooms I'd been given permission to pick at a few of the gardens.

I left him poring over his book and the photographs and started dinner. I'd decided to make his favorite—tom yum goong—followed by an herb salad and a spicy curry over rice. I had cold beer to go with the curry, and since he hated all sweets, I chose to just end the meal with fresh peaches and cream.

When the meal was over, we sat on the sofa, and he told me about what he'd been doing with himself while I was gone—which wasn't much, it seemed. It sounded as though Kana had been right about him feeling lost and alone. Thinking about him missing me so much made my heart ache, and I reached up and pulled his face to mine and kissed him. He put his arms around me and held me tightly, pulling me onto his lap and grasping my thigh and the small of my back tightly.

A few minutes into our kiss, he pulled back and looked at me oddly. "Something… something's different. Your kiss—it's different in some way."

I looked at him in surprise. "Whatever do you mean? Different how?"

He looked at me, puzzled. "I'm not really sure. More… more confident? More… intense, I guess."

"No idea," I said, shaking my head. "Maybe just us missing each other?"

"Yeah… maybe." He cleared his throat and looked away. "So, uh… you were going to tell me about your vacation."

I sighed; I'd been enjoying the kiss so much, I hated to stop. "Well… like I said, I spent most of it with Mikhail. But I think you knew that even before I told you, since that _was_ kind of the point."

"Then… are you any closer to making a decision?"

"Yes. But before I answer, there's a question I want to ask you, and also some things I need to tell you. Then I'll give you my decision." He nodded and looked at me.

I slid off his lap and sat turned so that I could look him in the face, my legs across his lap. "I… I learned some things about Mikhail that, well, that upset me at first. And they started me wondering…. So I wanted to ask you, are… are you… well, are you a virgin?"

His eyes opened wide in surprise, and I felt myself blushing. "That… that's not at all what I was expecting," he said.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to—"

"No, it's okay. It's a fair question if we're considering marriage. And probably something I should have brought up myself some time ago. Anyway, to answer your question… no. No, I'm not."

I nodded, looking away. "Was… was it…?"

"Nadia? No. She was far too cagey for anything like that. No, my first time was thanks to Ash. After Nadia tossed me over for that rich guy, I was down in the dumps for a long time. So Ash got it in his head that I needed a "real woman" to help me get over her. He had a cousin who lived in a larger town a ways off, and he persuaded me to go along to visit him for a few days. They plotted to have a big party, get me smashed, and then hook me up with some girl or another."

"And… and did they?" He nodded, and I said, in a small voice, "Was that the only time?"

"Do you mean with her, or do you mean was she the only one? Though I guess it doesn't matter, the answer is no either way." He sighed, and went on. "I honestly don't know how many times we did it that night—I was drunk, remember, and so it's all a bit of a haze. I remember at least three times, but I can't swear that was all."

"Three…?" I said, a little faintly. I took a minute to let that sink in, then said, "And there were others besides her?"

He sighed again, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah… well, once I'd had it that first time, I wanted more. Not all the time or anything, but once in a while, I'd get the urge. Then I'd usually find some cute young tourist to hook up with, sleep with her a couple or few times, then that was it. Not a lot, like I said, but there were a few."

"How many is 'a few'?"

"Hmmm… maybe one or two a year, and that was starting when I was nineteen, so…." He paused for a moment, thinking.

I felt slightly suffocated as I asked, "How long… how long did you keep that up? Were you still…?"

He glanced over at me, looking confused. "Was I still what?" Then it dawned on him what I had been unable to ask. "Oh! You mean, have I slept with anyone since we met?" I nodded. "Well… yes. Once, right after you moved here. Partly because I was still scared at finding myself falling in love with you and trying to deny it. But that was before we started to date at all—I haven't so much as looked at anyone else since I asked you out that first time, I promise."

"I… I see. And… when were you going to tell me all this?" I couldn't keep the hurt from my voice.

"I know, I should have told you a lot sooner, and I'm sorry that I didn't. You've always been honest with me. It truly wasn't my intent to deceive you. I guess I was so caught up in the whole rivalry thing that it just escaped me. Can you forgive me?"

"One or two a year for five years, plus the first one… that's…. You—you've been with maybe as many as ten or even more women?"

He thought for a moment. "Maybe, I don't think _quite_ that many. But near that."

I drew my legs up and hugged them, leaning my forehead on my knees as I thought about what he'd said. Of course, I didn't know how many Mikhail had been with—though likely even more. But still… was I the _only_ inexperienced person in the entire county?

"Alice?" Cam broke into my reflections, placing a hand lightly on my head and gently stroking my hair. "Are you okay? Are you… are you angry?"

I shook my head. "No… not angry. I'm a little… I guess surprised. Shocked even, maybe. I had no idea… And now I'm wondering if there has been any point at all in even trying to stay a virgin until I'm married… because it sure seems like no one else in the world is. I wonder if I've just been missing out all this time…." I felt a few tears spill out and trickle slowly down my cheek and onto my knee, but I didn't bother to wipe them away.

He scooted closer to me, pulling me across his lap again. "I'm so sorry, Alice. It was unfair of me to keep that from you. Does… does that change how you feel about me?"

I rubbed my wrist across my eyes and shook my head. "No… no, it's not that. I'm just feeling like everything I've been through has been a wasted effort."

"Of course it hasn't. Everything you do—everything you've ever done—is part of who you are now. Changing that would change you—and I love you just exactly as you are."

I gave him a faint smile and rested my chin on my knees. "Well, anyway, that was my question—and I guess I got my answer."

He nodded, then said, "You said you had something you wanted to tell me. It's… it's about Mikhail, isn't it?" He looked away, then said, "I saw the way you were looking at that dress and blushing. And… like I said, your kisses seem different than before you left. When you said you spent most of your time with him, did… did that include nights, too? Did you… did you break your promise to yourself, after all?" He turned back to me with an anxious—haunted, even—look.

I turned and snuggled up against him, resting my head against his shoulder. I sighed, and said, "No… and yes."

"Uh… well, which?" he asked, confused by my vague answer.

"Technically I'm still a virgin…."

"_Technically_?"

"I mean, I haven't gone… well, all the way."

"But you've come close."

"I… I guess." I sighed again, then said, "I'll tell you what happened. There was one night about halfway through my vacation when I… I got really drunk—I'd had way too much wine to drink, then some really potent coffee drinks, and I was pretty blotto. I talked Mikhail into going skinny dipping with me… and then I tried to talk him into sleeping with me. He was kind of drunk, too, but nowhere near as much as I was. Anyway. He was a complete gentleman and refused, knowing how I felt about it—at least, when I'm sober. But then I passed out on the beach. So he carried me back to my room and put me in my bed, then he sat up with me to be sure I was okay… and he fell asleep. But nothing happened! He was just trying to take care of me. He could have taken advantage of the situation, but he didn't—and I'm very grateful for that."

"Are… are you sure? I mean, it must have taken an iron will to keep his hands off you when you were drunk and willing and naked, especially when he was in bed with you to boot. And, well, he's never really struck me as the 'iron-will' type."

I shook my head. "I remember parts of the night, and they match up with what he said happened. I believe him."

"All right then. Was… was there more? I mean, that hardly seems like the kind of situation to warrant labeling yourself 'technically' a virgin."

"Yes, there was one more night. The last night. He… he asked me to marry him. Said I didn't need to give him an answer right away, just when I was ready. Then he asked to stay the night with me. He promised not to… to take my virginity, but that he just wanted to be with me."

"I see. So what happened then?"

"Well, while we were in bed, we kissed and made out… then he… he touched me… and I… I…" I turned red with embarrassment, and couldn't get the words out.

"You… came?"

"Huh? Came where?" I asked, looking up at him in bewilderment, not sure what that had to do with the conversation.

He smiled a half-smile at me. "It's a euphemism. It means you had an orgasm."

"Oh! Oh, then… yeah, I guess so."

"And… did you return the favor?"

"Did I…? Oh! No, uh… no. He didn't ask for anything, and, well, he seemed pretty happy with things as they were, so…." I pulled my knees up again and buried my face against them, too embarrassed to look at Cam.

"I bet he was," Cam said drily. "So is that all, then? Or is there more?"

"Huh? No, that… that's all."

"You're _sure_? Like I said, he doesn't strike me as the sort to have an iron will."

"Of course I'm sure! That's everything, I swear. Don't… don't you believe me?"

He pulled me closer to him, saying, "Of course I believe you. I'm sorry, Alice. I didn't mean to suggest I didn't. It's just…."

"Just… what?"

"Well, I know how hard it would be for me to restrain myself under, well, either of those circumstances, and I think I have better self control than he does. But if you say nothing else happened, I believe you."

"And… now that you know… does all that change how _you_ feel about _me_?"

"No. Sure, I wish it hadn't happened, but only because I want you all to myself. It doesn't change how I feel about you."

"And… if I had…. If I _wasn't_ still a virgin now… would you feel differently?"

"I don't see why that should matter… but, no. Again, I'd wish things had been different, but I'd love you the same. We're not married, not even engaged. I don't have any right to tell you what you can and can't do. If you'd said yes to me and _then_ done those things with him, then I'd be pretty furious, not to mention hurt. But that's a different story."

I nodded, then got up and went to make some coffee—I felt like I needed a strong, hot drink right then. Cam said he'd take some, too, so I made a pot and brought out the mugs.

"So," he said after I sat back down next to him, "now you've asked your question and 'fessed up. Are you ready to give me your answer? Have you decided how you feel about us?"

I took a long sip of scalding hot coffee. "Yes. Yes, I've decided." I snuggled up against him and took a deep breath. "First, I need to say that I still love you both. I can't imagine anything changing that. But I love you both in different ways. Mikhail is… he's exciting, and romantic, and, well, being with him is thrilling and exhilarating."

"I see. And I'm none of those things, then—is that what you're saying?"

"No! No, that's not what I mean. Please, Cam, just hear me out, okay?" He slowly nodded. "I don't mean anything like that. The flip side of being with him is that he's mercurial, temperamental, and jealous. When he gets moody, I feel like I'm walking on eggshells. And when he loses his temper…." Cam squeezed my shoulder, remembering some of our past encounters, too.

"Anyway, you—you're kind, considerate, even-tempered, patient, and laid-back. And though you can be jealous and quick to jump to conclusions, too, you aren't half as bad as he is. Being with Mikhail is like being on an exotic vacation. But being with you is like… is like coming home afterwards."

"Then…?"

"So, I've chosen who I want to spend my life with. If you'll still have me… I choose you, Cam."

His eyes opened wide as he stared at me. "Are… are you sure? I don't want to rush you, so if you need more time…."

"I'm sure, as sure as I am of anything. Don't… don't you still want to marry me?"

He pulled me onto his lap and smothered me with kisses, all over my lips, my face, my neck, laughing all the while. Finally, he said, tears in his eyes, "Yes, Alice. More than anything, I want you to be my wife—forever and ever, to the end of time and beyond."

And he pulled the ring out of his trousers pocket and slipped it back onto my finger.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	45. Chapter 44

**AN:** Meant to be a bit of a girly chapter—which was surprisingly difficult for me to write, as I'm _not_ a girly kind of woman. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading!

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><p>The next day, I met Cam at Howard's as soon as I'd finished my daily farm chores and seen Rob off. Kana was driving him to the station for me, and they left before I even started my day's work. He was thrilled by my news, of course, and said he'd liked Cam as soon as they'd met. I promised to get in touch soon with the details, so that he and our parents could plan their trip out for the wedding.<p>

At the café, we told Howard and Laney about our engagement. Laney was delighted, but Howard was positively over the moon. He immediately started coming up with all kinds of wild, extravagant plans for our wedding. Cam and I looked at each other in mock dismay as he enthusiastically rattled off one idea after another.

Laney intercepted our look, however, and immediately reined her father in. "Hold on just a minute, Dad!" she exclaimed, affectionately patting him on his shoulder. "I think Alice just might like to plan her own wedding herself!" She turned to us with a smile, saying, "Dad and I would be delighted to take care of the food and the cake, of course—if you would like, that is. Just let us know what you want!"

I hugged them both, grateful not just for their offer but also for their pleasure in our engagement. I knew they considered Cam to be their son and brother, and when we told them we were going to be married, they immediately embraced me as a daughter and sister.

Afterwards, we returned to my house. I made some lunch for us, and we settled down to eat and make some plans—not just wedding, but also concerning married life.

"I've almost finished restoring this farm as much as I intend to," I said as I set a plate of food at each of our places and sat down, "at least for the time being. But I'm not _quite_ there. I might be able to finish before winter, but if not, then I'm sure I can have it completed by the end of the year. Will you mind living here in Konohana for a little while? Then we can move back to Bluebell and I'll get to work restoring that farm."

"Well, of course, I've never lived here before…. I have to say, though, that it's much nicer than I'd originally thought. I still like Bluebell the best, but Konohana's not bad."

"And when would you want to have the wedding? I'd like to invite both villages, as I've grown close to many of my neighbors here, too."

"How about two weeks from tomorrow?"

"Hmm, that's… that's not a lot of time for the preparations."

"I know, but we don't _have_ to have an elaborate wedding, do we? And… well, maybe I'm just being selfish… but I've waiting so long for you, I don't want to wait a minute longer than necessary."

I laughed and replied, "No, we don't—I'd rather not, anyway. A big fancy wedding would just seem so out of place here. I'd much rather something fairly simple. Something a bit like that party we had when the tunnel reopened, only with a wedding as part of it."

"That's just what I had in mind!" Cam exclaimed with a grin.

"See? We're already thinking like an old married couple," I teased. "Although… I'm worried about the weather. It rains a lot this time of the year, and I'd hate to be rained out of my own wedding."

"What about the town hall?"

"Hmmm… that's not a bad idea. We could have the ceremony in one hall, and the reception in the other. That would not only include both villages, but also make setting up a lot easier. Maybe have the ceremony here in Konohana and the reception in Bluebell, since the Bluebell town hall is close to Howard's?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Then I'll talk to both mayors about it, and see if they approve. And… what about a honeymoon? Should we take one? There's the farm… and I'm only just back from one vacation…."

"Of course we should. I don't want you to have to get up and muck the barn early in the morning after our wedding night—I want you with me! We don't need to take a long trip if you'd rather not—just a few days. Where would you like to go?"

I laughed and said, "Someplace warm! Even though the weather wasn't all that hot most of the time on my vacation, it was still a bit of a shock to come back to the chilly fall air here. I still feeling cold all the time. Seriously though, how would you feel about going to my hometown for a honeymoon? It's nowhere especially exciting, but…."

"I'd like that. I'd love to see where you grew up, the places you knew as a kid, all that sort of thing. Do you want to pick a place there and make reservations? Or do you want me to surprise you?"

"Hmm… I like surprises. You can ask my mother for recommendations, if you want some guidance."

"I'll keep that in mind. Do you want to try to spend the wedding night there, too? Or go the next day?"

"Next day, for sure. It's a bit far to go at the end of a long day, and besides, the trains don't run that late. So maybe leave Sunday and come home again… how about Thursday? Then you'll have Friday to get settled in here before you return to work on Saturday."

"It's a date, then," he agreed with a smile before turning his attention back to his meal.

A few moments later, he looked across the table at me, saying, "By the way, I'd like to do the flowers, even if it _is_ my own wedding. I particularly want to design your bouquet. Do you mind?"

"I'd love that, if you think you'll have the time for it. I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather have arrange my bridal flowers," I said with a smile.

"I'll _make_ the time, one way or another. Just let me know what colors you want and leave the rest to me."

"I hadn't thought about that yet," I mused. "I think… I think I'd really like pink and blue, and white, too, of course, for the reception flowers. But if it won't be too strange… I'd really like the flowers for the ceremony—at least, for my own bouquet—to be all white, no accent colors other than possibly some greenery."

"No, that wouldn't be strange at all. I think it would be lovely, and very fitting—beautiful, uncomplicated, sweet, and innocent, just like you," he said, smiling, as he reached for my hand.

After lunch, he returned to Bluebell to start planning the flowers, and I went to talk first with Ina and then with Rutger. They happily agreed to my plan of splitting the wedding between the two town halls, and confirmed that the date we wanted was available in both towns. After that was settled, I found Laney and asked her to come with me to Eileen's.

We found the carpenter just outside her house, taking inventory of her materials. She invited us in for some tea and fresh-baked blueberry tea bread. While we waited on the kettle, I told her my good news and showed her the pretty sapphire ring Cam had given to me. She was so excited, she started bouncing up and down like a bunny rabbit, her wavy hair bobbing as she squealed. "I can't believe it! You're getting married! I'm sooo happy, happy, _happy_!"

She started the tea brewing, then sliced the bread and spread it thickly with honey butter. We sat down, and while we sipped tea and nibbled the delicious tea bread, I explained the reason for meeting up with them. "Cam doesn't want a long engagement…."

"Can't say I blame him, he's had such a long wait as it is!" Eileen interrupted with a laugh and a wink. Laney and I laughed, too, then I continued.

"Anyway… so we're getting married two weeks from tomorrow. That means I have to move fast, even though we're planning a fairly simple wedding. We're going to get married in the Konohana town hall, then have the reception here in the Bluebell town hall—that'll make it easier for you & Howard to get the food set up," I said, turning to look at Laney.

"_Much_ easier!" she agreed emphatically as she smiled.

"Anyway, we're inviting everyone from both towns, as well as a few from outside the towns—like my family, for instance. I haven't yet talked to Cam about how many attendants, but I think if we're keeping things simple, two each should be plenty, plus maybe a flower girl and a ring-bearer. And I'd like you two to be my attendants… if you're willing, that is?"

Eileen clapped and squealed with glee again, while Laney just clasped her hands and looked delighted at the prospect. "Of course!" they replied in unison, then looked at each other and laughed.

"Then how about we go do some dress shopping—say, Monday? Do you think Ash would be willing to drive us to the station to catch the 9:15, and pick us up again in the afternoon?"

" I think so—I'll ask him and let you know. This is going to be so fun!" Laney enthused.

We spent nearly an hour afterwards talking about wedding plans: colors, dresses, flowers, the cake, and all the other details that have fascinated young brides-to-be and their friends for untold generations.

I looked at the clock some time later and exclaimed "Look at the time! I've got to get going—I have so much work to do! And that isn't even _counting_ the wedding!"

After I finished planting my fall crops, I hurried to Yun's tea shop to ask if Ying could be my flower girl. Yun readily agreed, though she declined my invitation to take her shopping with us. "I'm sorry, Alice," she said with a tinge of sorrow, "Ying is still really too delicate for the city air, even just for a day."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. I'd hoped she would be well enough to come with us. But if you give me her measurements, I can at least look for a dress and shoes for her. Will that be okay?"

"Oh, certainly, certainly! Now why don't you go tell her your news in person? I believe she's playing just outside."

Ying was delighted when I asked her. "Can I _really_?" she asked in her sweet, tiny voice. "And can I wear a pretty dress, too?"

"I'll find you something lovely and pink to wear, I promise," I assured her with a smile. She flung her arms around my neck and whispered a thank you to me, catching me completely off guard. I gave her a gentle hug, then I headed back to my farm to wait for Cam.

Monday morning I rose bright and early in order to get all my work finished in time. I hurried through my chores, cramming toast into my mouth and gulping tea while I watered my crops. When I was done, I rushed off to shower and change into clean clothing. Ash had happily agreed to drive us, and said he'd stop by for me around eight. I was just simultaneously slipping my shoes on and brushing my hair when I heard the sound of a horse and cart coming down the drive. I grabbed my cardigan and ran out the door, and we headed off to the station.

The nearest city to the two villages was Rose Valley, which was a little over an hour's ride on the train each way. It was 10:30 when we stepped off the train onto the platform in downtown, so we went straight to work. The city was small, but large enough to boast a few bridal shops and other clothing stores.

At noon, we went to lunch at a tiny tea shop, where we sat and talked and laughed as we sipped tea and ate little sandwiches and salads and petit fours. We finished up our shopping at a few minutes past three, arriving at the station just in time to catch the train home, where Ash picked us up.

We'd had a successful outing, and on the train we pored over our purchases, oblivious to the smiles of curious fellow-travelers listening in on our raptures. I'd found my dress: an A-line ball gown with a plunging V-shaped lace neckline and a full, rather wispy tulle and lace skirt. Laney and Eileen had agreed upon a lovely outfit that either could wear on other occasions: a full, floor-length tulle skirt, a smocked scoop-neck top, and a lightweight cardigan with a wide ribbon sash, all in sky blue. And finally, a delicate pink outfit for Ying: a fluffy tutu skirt, a white knit top, and a cardigan embellished with knit flowers and trimmed with chiffon ruffled and pearl buttons.

Ash dropped me off at the farm at a little after 5:00. I invited everyone in for tea, but Ash and Laney said they needed to hurry back to help out at home, and Eileen asked for a raincheck—she had a client coming over that evening, and she needed to get ready for her arrival. So I dropped off my packages, changed into my work clothes and did my evening chores.

Afterwards, I changed back into nicer clothes and dropped by Yun's to give Ying her flower girl outfit. It was well worth all the trouble of trying to find something just perfect when I saw the look on her face as she admired the clothes. She looked positively captivated as she tentatively reached a tiny fingertip out to touch the ruffles and trimmings, and when I pulled out a pair of little shoes styled like pink ballet slippers, right down to the ribbon ties, she looked as though she had at last found perfect bliss.

I was so tired that evening that I didn't really feel like cooking, especially for just myself. So I threw a sandwich together and ate while reading a novel. I missed Cam terribly, as I always did on Mondays when he was away the entire day. I understood why he wanted to go, but nevertheless I missed him—and I couldn't wait until the day when we wouldn't need to be apart anymore.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	46. Chapter 45

**AN:** Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think—I'm grateful for your feedback!

**Helen:** I wasn't able to find that username, but if you log into your account, then go to my profile page, you should be able to PM me from there. You can reach my profile page by clicking on my username next to or below the fanfiction title. Hope that helps, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! :)

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><p>When I awoke the next morning, I felt tired and groggy. With so much on my mind, I hadn't slept well, plus I was still fatigued from the day before. So before I even dressed, I headed to the kitchen to start coffee brewing.<p>

I had just switched the coffeepot on when a knock came at my door. Looking in surprise at my clock, I saw that it was barely past six. "Who on earth would be coming by _this_ early?" I muttered to myself as I stumbled sleepily towards the door.

A moment later I found myself being swept up in a bear hug and swung around, and being kissed all over my lips, face, and neck. Then familiar voice murmured hoarsely into my neck, "Oh, gods, Alice, I've missed you these few days. Tell me, my love, do you have an answer for me?"

My eyes flew open at that, all traces of drowsiness vanished as it finally sunk in that it was Mikhail that was greeting me so rapturously. And I didn't know what to say.

He set me down and raised my hand to kiss it as he gazed adoringly into my eyes… then he glanced down. He froze, then straightened up, staring fixedly at the ring on my finger. He released my hand and looked at me, his eyes profound with anguish and despair.

He stared into my eyes for a long moment, then turned and leaned heavily against the wall. "I… I see. So this, then, is my answer?" he asked dully.

"Yes. I… I'm sorry, Mikhail," I said in a low voice.

He whirled back around and pulled me to him in a fierce embrace. "Sorry? _Sorry_? If you're so sorry, then tell me—why? Why _him_? Why not… why not _me_?" He buried his face in my hair, and I could feel him quivering. "I love you… as the night loves the moon, as the day loves the sun, as the soul loves music, so do I love you, Alice. And I thought… I _thought_ you loved me, too."

I gently pushed him back and looked him in the eyes, feeling the pain reflected in his eyes. "I _do_ love you, Mikhail, and I always will. But… I just can't marry you. Life with you would be like a continuous roller coaster ride—exhilarating heights, yes, but also plunging to great depths. And… sooner or later, I'd grow weary of the perpetual ups and downs and just want to get off the ride and walk on solid, level ground. Do you understand?"

"All too well," he replied, bitterly. "I regret I cannot be what you want me to be… that I cannot give you what you want me to give. I cannot be anyone but myself… and in the end, it appears that simply is not enough." He sighed and looked away. "So, when… when will this… when will you be married?"

"A week from next Saturday."

He looked back sharply at me. "So… so soon."

I cleared my throat. "I'm, uhh… I'm not sure how to say this, but… well, in regards to invitations…"

"Yes, yes. I understand," he said, waving his hand dismissively as he looked away. "Cam will not want his former rival present at his nuptials."

I looked at him in surprise. "Well, honestly, that's not what I was going to say. Frankly, I don't give a fig if he doesn't want you there—it's _my_ wedding, too, after all. If… if you _want_ to come, I'd be very happy to have you there. But… I'll understand if you would rather not. I just... don't want you to feel unwelcome. I… I can't love you as you hoped I would, Mikhail, but I _do_ still love you and care about you. I'd like to be friends with you, and I very much hope that you will soon get over me and find your… your soul mate."

He gave a mirthless snort of laughter. "Thank you for your concern, but I have already found my 'soul mate'—only it seems that I am not hers. There will be no one else. As I told you before, I'll spend the rest of my days celibate and alone. There is no place in my heart for anyone but you, nor will there ever be."

With that, he turned and left.

I stood staring at the door for some time after he left, the tears that I'd kept back finally spilling down my cheeks. Then I slowly dressed and switched off the coffeepot—I no longer had any appetite.

I completed my chores, moving more slowly than usual. I still didn't feel like eating when I was done, so I skipped lunch as well. I felt so heavy-hearted, and all I wanted to do was go to sleep and wake up to find everything was okay again. But I knew it wouldn't be, so instead I pulled out my violin and went outside. I sat on top of my pasture fence and began to play. I found that even the sweetest, happiest tunes I played had a melancholic air as my conflicted emotions were drawn out through the strings, infusing my music with the anguish I felt. Likewise, the sad songs I played became almost unendurable, and the tears flowed as I played, chilled by the wind as they streamed down my face.

How long I sat out there I couldn't say, but the next thing I knew, the shadows had grown long and Cam was strolling down my drive, a puzzled look on his face as he contemplated me. "Alice? Are you okay?" he asked as he approached my perch. He spotted the tears and looked alarmed. "What is it? What happened?"

I set my violin on my lap and looked down at him. "He's back."

"Who…? Oh! I see. What happened? Are you all right? He didn't… _do_ anything to you, did he?"

"What? No! It's not that, it's… it's…."

"It's what?" He leaned against the fence and looked up at me, puzzled.

I heaved a sigh and rubbed my hand across my eyes. "You know, Cam, I… I _love_ him. I love him, and I broke his heart. He swears he'll never love anyone else ever again. I… I know that sounds overly dramatic… but I think he really means it. And it kills me to think of him going through life all alone and unloved."

"So… what are you saying? Are you saying you regret your choice? Are you… are you changing your mind?" Cam asked, his brow furrowed in apprehension.

"No… no, I'm not saying _that_. But…."

"But what? I don't understand, Alice. You were so happy—or I _thought_ you were. And now after just one conversation with him, you've done a complete about-face. Don't you want to marry me anymore?"

"Yes, Cam, I _do_—I most definitely do. But please, _try_ to understand. Saying yes to you automatically meant saying no to him. So on the one hand, I'm happy and thrilled at the prospect of spending the rest of my life with you, but on the other hand, I'm grieving over a very painful breakup. The three of us traveled down the same path for nearly a year, then when I finally made my choice, the path was divided in two—and I'm still being pulled between them even as they diverge. I… I hadn't really anticipated this… this overwhelming sense of loss. All I thought about was the joyful side of my decision—not the heartbreak over ending the other relationship. But just because I'm feeling grief-stricken and raw from my split with Mikhail and from the pain I've caused him doesn't mean that I'm any less thrilled about our upcoming marriage, or that my love for you is diminished in any way. It just means that… well, I expect I'll be kind of up and down for a while. So please, just… try to bear with me, okay?"

He hopped up onto the fence and sat on the top board next to me, putting his arm around me as he thought about what I'd said. After a minute, he nodded, saying, "Okay. I still don't really get it, but then I'm not in your position. Anyway, I'll try to by more sympathetic. Even if I don't really understand, I know it's been difficult for you."

I nestled up against him and sighed. Depressed or not, home was a good place to be.

The day before our wedding was dark, dreary, and rainy all day. I fretted about the weather all day as Cam, our friends, and I all put the finishing touches on the two halls, completed the flower arrangements, and made any last-minute adjustments to our outfits. My family and my brother's girlfriend—a pretty, sweet girl named Lila—had arrived that morning. My parents and brother were staying in my farmhouse in Bluebell, and Lila stayed in the Bluebell town hall. Beth had arrived shortly afterwards, taking up residence in the second guest room in Konohana.

According to local custom, on the night before our wedding, all the men gathered for a "stag" party, while all the women gathered for a "hen" party. Of course, that was usually just in one village or the other—this time it was everyone from both villages, plus a few extras. The only person that didn't attend, I learned, was Mikhail. Beth told me later that he just couldn't bring himself to go congratulate Cam and to see him looking so happy—not when he wished with all his heart that their positions were reversed.

The hen party was at Yun's tea shop, and we all had tea and cakes and laughed and joked. Everyone had some gift for us, large or small—ranging from bundles of dried cooking herbs to nice dishes or decorative objects. To my embarrassment, Eileen, Laney, Georgia, and even quiet Beth had all given me racy lingerie. When I'd opened the first of these—a tiny box from Eileen—I'd held up the bits of peach colored silk and turned bright red as I realized that it was a teensy weensy sheer babydoll—made with barely enough fabric to cover even one of my breasts, let alone both—and the tiniest g-string I'd ever seen. "Eileen!" I gasped, quickly stuffing them back in the box. "Sheesh, it's bad enough when you all tease me when it's just us—do you _have_ to do that in front of my mother, too?"

She laughed as she said, "Oh come _on_, Alice—there's no need to be so embarrassed! I mean, you're _twenty-four_ for the goddess's sake! I'm sure your mom knows more than you think, anyway."

"Knows _what_? There's nothing to know!" I exclaimed. "I'm _serious_!" I added as my friends started to laugh. "I've _never_…."

Laney stopped giggling and looked at me, my face crimson and tears in my eyes. "Wait… you really mean it? You… you're still a _virgin_?"

"_Why_ does everyone find that so hard to believe?!" I wailed, affronted and hurt by the teasing that had, in my opinion, gone a little too far this time.

Georgia blushed and looked away, saying, "Well, I mean, it's not meant as a reflection on _you_, it's just… it's kinda hard to believe that someone as pretty and popular with the guys as you are hasn't…." she trailed off.

"Well, believe it or not, I _am_ a virgin. I've never 'done it' with anyone, no matter how hard they tried to persuade me. It's been really difficult to keep saying no over and over and over—especially the times I wanted to say yes. And it _really_ hurts when my own dear friends tease me and act like it can't _possibly_ be true. It makes me feel like you all think I'm some kind of floozy!" I turned my back to them, trying to choke back the tears.

Laney got up and hurried over to me, putting her arms around me as she said, "Oh, Alice, I'm so sorry. You're right. And none of us think that about you at all, honest—it's just… well, I suppose maybe we're a little envious. I mean, you're smart, you're sweet, you're successful, and you turn heads wherever you go. But we're your friends, and we shouldn't tease you like that, especially at a time like this. It was insensitive and mean, especially given all that you've been through. Please forgive us?" The other girls came over, too, and added their apologies. After a minute, I nodded and sat back down, my throat still too constricted for words. There was a moment of awkward silence, until precocious Cheryl piped up in a loud whisper, "Mama? What does "done it" mean, and why hasn't Alice? Does she mean… _kissing_?"

Jessica choked on her tea, turning red as she coughed and gasped while Ina thumped her on the back. When she could speak again, she said, "Yes, my love, that's right. She means kissing _boys_."

"Ewww! Well, _I've_ never done it, either, then—and I'm _glad_! I don't know why _anyone_ would want to do it! But _Laney's_ done it—I _saw_ her and Ash doing it! Mama, does that mean _she's_ not a virgin anymore?" the child asked as everyone burst into laughter, the ice broken. Jessica tried to answer her daughter with a straight face as Laney, mortified, turned several shades of scarlet.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	47. Chapter 46

**AN:** Whoops! My apologies! I accidentally uploaded the wrong chapter! The one that was up earlier was the next chapter. Sorry for any confusion!

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><p>Despite my fears, the morning of my wedding day dawned bright and sunny. The scattered clouds were white and fluffy, not the dark, heavy rainclouds of yesterday. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the breeze was gentle. I hurried outside to get through my chores as soon as possible, but I found Dirk and Kana already there. They'd agreed to tend to my farm for the next few days, but I hadn't expected them to start on my wedding day itself.<p>

"Shoo, shoo, shoo—get yourself inside and enjoy a nice, lazy breakfast," Kana said as he and Dirk laughed at my surprised expression. "Today's all about you, for once, so just let us take care of things out here."

"Yep, you just go relax and make yourself beautiful! Well, _more_ beautiful!" Dirk added with his impudent grin as he grabbed the hose and started towards my fields. With a final wave of dismissal, Kana headed into my barn, so I shrugged and smiled as I turned and headed back into my house.

I made some tea and took a long, hot bath, listening to music and drinking my tea as I relaxed. As I just finished toweling off, there was a knock on my door. I quickly pulled on a kimono and went to answer it, and found Cam on my doorstep, his arms loaded with bunches of flowers.

"Delivery, ma'am," he said with a grin as he stepped in. "I haven't sorted these all out yet—this is all the flowers for the wedding party, and I wanted to be sure you liked them first."

I looked the flowers over, and they were beautiful—absolutely perfect. My bouquet was a large cluster of white roses, stephanotis, and white stock, framed with deep green leaves and green berries. "Innocence, marital bliss, and bonds of affection," he said with a smile as I examined the bouquet. I smiled back at him and set the flowers in their holder on my table. The girls' flowers consisted of white roses with pink sweet peas, while the men's boutonnieres were a single white rosebud surrounded by forget-me-nots. His own boutonniere was a tiny cluster of stephanotis with a bit of fern, reflecting the colors of my own bouquet.

"They're gorgeous, Cam! Just what I'd expect from you, of course."

He smiled down at me, saying, "I'll take the men's flowers back with me. Ash and Rob should be over in an hour or so to get dressed, and Ina's bringing Rahi over after he's dressed." He put his arms around me and held me for a moment, then leaned in and kissed me, whispering, "You're naked under that thing, aren't you?"

I pushed him back, laughing. "Whoa, easy there big fella! There's still a few hours to go!"

He grinned at me as he said, "Yeah, and they'll be the longest few hours of my life!" Then he tipped his hat, winked at me, and headed back out the door, taking the men's flowers with him. I was still laughing as I closed the door behind him, then I looked around and got to work.

First, I started coffee and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I ate a quick breakfast and cleaned up, then I whisked around cleaning the house. I'd washed all the linens just yesterday, though the weather hadn't been conducive to them drying and they didn't smell as fresh as I liked. I looked outside and considered washing them all over again, then decided there just wasn't time. Instead, I just pulled clean bedding out of the linen closet. It would smell like lavender instead of fresh air, but I was okay with that. I smiled to myself as I thought that Cam probably wouldn't notice what my sheets smelled like, anyway—not under the circumstances.

Just as I finished sweeping the floors, someone came knocking on my door. I quickly put the broom and dustpan away, then opened the door. My mother, Eileen, Laney, Georgia, Yun, Ying, and Beth all pushed into my house, giggling and smiling, their arms loaded with bags of finery and cosmetics. I sighed as I smiled at them, thinking that all my cleaning was for naught, then joined in the laughter.

My mother had brought bottles of chilled champagne with her—and even a bottle of sparkling cider for little Ying—and we all sipped the bubbly beverages as we started to prepare ourselves. Georgia assisted Laney and Eileen with their hair and makeup, Yun did Ying's hair, and my mother and Beth both worked on me.

When they were done, my hair had been styled in a deceptively simple mix of loose waves, long curls, and braids that cascaded over my shoulders. A single gardenia bloom had been pinned on one side, finishing a loose braid and blending it into the surrounding waves. My makeup was simple, as I'd never cared for heavy makeup—and Beth assured me it was all waterproof. I put on a simple three-strand pearl choker and little pearl drop earrings, then it was time to dress.

I changed into my lingerie, first. The dress had built-in support, which was fortunate as the sheer, plunging neckline made it pretty much impossible to find a bra that wouldn't show underneath it. I slipped into a white chiffon thong and matching garter belt, then pulled on the white stockings and clipped them to the garter belt. Next came a half slip, to protect my skin from the scratchy tulle lining of the gown.

My mother helped me step into my gown, pulling it up carefully around me and doing up the score or so of buttons in the back. Nori had needed to make some adjustments to it—my figure was curvier than was currently the vogue, it seemed. I'd had to choose between a gown that either fit my waist but was much too tight through the bust and hips, or one that fit through my bust and hips but was far too loose in the waist. So I picked the latter and took it to Nori. Her alterations were invisible, and the dress fit perfectly—snugly but not restrictively—over my figure, flaring out into the full skirt over my hips. Beth helped me into my "walking" shoes—flat-soled shoes for walking to and from the town halls to keep my "real" shoes pretty—and I was ready. My mother and the other women all gathered around to admire me, exclaiming over my appearance until my cheeks were rosy with a self-conscious pleasure. Yun, who had been taking photos the whole time, took a few snapshots of me with my mother, the young ladies, and finally Ying.

By the time we were done, it was time to go, so we quickly packed up all that we needed and walked en masse to the town hall. We put our supplies in the ladies' cloakroom and finished the last few touches to our outfits, then we settled down to wait. Soon, Ina came in to tell us that the preparations were complete and most of the guests seated, and to come to the staging area to get ready.

As I took my place behind Eileen and Lacey, my father came up to me. "You look beautiful, baby," he said, looking slightly teary-eyed despite his wide smile. I just smiled back at him, too choked up to reply, and tucked my hand into his arm. A moment later, Ina called for us to begin proceeding into the hall.

To be honest, the ceremony was a bit of a blur. My heart was beating so hard, I was sure everyone could hear it pounding against my ribcage. When I saw Cam standing at the altar, waiting for me, it suddenly seemed as though everyone else disappeared—like we were the only two people in all the world. As far as I know, I said the right things at the right times—at least, no one scolded me or laughed. But it all seemed like a half-real dream, clear up until at last he slipped the ring on my finger. I looked up at him and smiled through my tears, then placed his ring onto his finger. Then with the pastor's blessing, he pulled me to him, leaned down, and kissed me. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him like I _meant_ it—then jumped a little when the hall erupted in loud cheers and excited whoops. We turned and smiled as the pastor introduced us as Mr. and Mrs. Cameron Blake, then we hurried out the hall, leading the way to the reception in Bluebell.

The hall was beautiful—Cam's flowers were, as always, gorgeous, and Rose and Georgia had outdone themselves in making the hall look festive and bridal. Howard had prepared platter upon platter of small bites, as well as salads, breads, cheeses, and pasta. On a more central table stood Laney's creation: a three-tiered cake iced in pale sky blue and decorated with delicate pink roses. Cam, who hated sweets more than anything, had griped about the cake at first, and Laney had threatened him with dire consequences if he didn't "man up" and eat a slice of cake at his own wedding, warning him that if he refused, she'd make _chocolate_ cake—his very least favorite kind of cake—and even telling him that he'd make me cry and spoil the whole day for me. That alarmed him, and he promised then to eat a piece if it would make me happy. However, I scolded Laney for pushing him around, reminding her that it was a special day for him, too, and telling her that if he didn't want to eat cake, it wasn't going to ruin anything for anyone. Finally we all settled on a compromise: Cam would join me for the traditional cutting of the cake, and take a bite of the piece I fed him—cheerfully and without grimacing or gagging—then he was off the hook. And Laney would make white cake, _not_ chocolate.

After the cutting of the cake, Ash's toast, and dinner, the dancing began. Rutger called for everyone to clear the floor, and Cam and I stepped out for our first dance together as husband and wife. Cam was not a particularly experienced dancer, though Laney had taken him in hand and polished his skills up a little. Still, we opted to avoid anything overly complicated, and instead chose a sweet, romantic song for a slow dance. Next, I danced with my father while he danced with my mother, then after that, we opened the dance floor to everyone.

It was a regional tradition, still observed in all but the most chichi neighborhoods at that time, for the male guests at a wedding to dance with the bride—it was considered good luck to dance with a new bride, and often at larger weddings the bride was kept dancing all night, often able to dance with her husband for only the first and last dances. So as soon as the parents' dance was over, there was a rush as all the men in both towns raced to be the first to dance with me. To my surprise—and discomfiture—the victor in the race turned out to be Mikhail. He took my hand and solemnly asked me for that dance—a graceful waltz. Unable to refuse, and keenly aware of Cam's scowl of displeasure, I nodded. He led me out onto the floor and the music began.

As we glided across the dance floor, he watched me, looking into my eyes unwaveringly. Finally, he said, "I must apologize. I could not come to see your marriage. I did try—in the hopes that perhaps at the last moment you might change your mind and call it off. In the end, though, I could not bring myself to watch you bind yourself to him. However, I did not want to miss this one last opportunity to dance with you."

I didn't know what to say to that, and before I could think of a reply, he went on in a low voice, leaning in ever so slightly. "You look lovely, Alice. Absolutely beautiful. I wish it was me that you had chosen… that you were now Mrs. Rehn, not Mrs. Blake… that we could dance like this forever. And… I wish it was me that will be joining you in your bed tonight, not him."

I gasped slightly, and looked up at him anxiously. "Mikhail… I…."

He shook his head. "No, Alice. Don't say it. Wishing can't make it so, and apologies don't mend broken hearts. Nevertheless, whether you believe me or not, I do wish you well. Above all else, I desire your happiness. So, though it pains me to say it, I wish you a long and happy life and many children."

"Thank you, Mikhail. And I truly _am_ sorry to have caused you pain, but most of all… I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you wished."

Then, as the waltz neared its end, he pulled me closer to him and leaned in, and in a voice so low no one but me could hear him, he said, "As for me, more than anything… I wish that I had not resisted you that night."

I stopped and gasped, shocked that he'd say that to me at my wedding reception, of all places. He kissed my hand before turning and briskly striding out of the town hall, leaving me standing there on the dance floor as the waltz ended with a triumphant crash.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	48. Chapter 47

**AN:** Wedding night cherry lemonade alert! **This chapter is rated M for lemons**, so if you object to/dislike them, or if you just oughtn't to be reading them, then please back slowly away from the screen while singing "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" in a happy voice. :)

**AN2:** _Slight_ cock-up yesterday—I accidentally posted this chapter instead of the correct one. It's fixed, and I apologize for any confusion.

**AN3:** Beginning immediately, I'm going to be posting on a different schedule. There's a note on my profile page about it, but basically **I'll be posting new chapters for R&S on Tuesdays & Thursdays** and for my RF4 fanfiction M-W-F. This will allow me to sleep a few hours a week, so that I don't die of exhaustion before the story is finished! XD

And as always, thank you so much for reading! I always love to hear from readers, so please feel free to PM me or leave a note in the reviews! :D

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><p>"<em>Grandma<em>! Did Mikhail _really_ say that to you? What did you do?" I asked eagerly.

She started and her eyes flew open—she'd closed them some time ago while focusing on her memories. "Oh, my dear!" she exclaimed. "How you startled me! I'd… well, to be honest, I'd all but forgotten you were there. I just got so wrapped up in the memories, I forgot who was listening. I… I suppose I really shouldn't have told you some of those things…" she mused.

"Oh, no, Grandma, I've really been enjoying your story—it's fascinating! _Please_ go on—I want to hear what happens next!"

She leaned back again with a sigh and smiled indulgently at me. "All right, my dear. There really isn't much more to tell about that night. We just danced and ate and drank and all had a good time. Laney caught my bouquet, and Kana caught the garter, then Grandpa and I danced the last dance and left."

After a moment, she looked like she was starting to slip back into her reminiscences, so I stayed quiet and waited. However, a moment later, she sat up. "Lori, would you be a dear and go brew another pot of tea? My throat is parched after so much talking. If I'm going to tell you the rest of the story, I'd best wet my whistle first."

"Certainly, Grandma. I'll be back in a few minutes," I said as I jumped up and hurried out to the kitchen.

"Mind you fill the kettle with fresh water first! And would you make some chicken salad sandwiches while you're out there? Thank you, sweetheart!" she called after me. I grinned as I called back an affirmative and got to work.

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><p><em>(Alice's thoughts)<em>

Ahh, that was all such a long time ago… I'm glad Lori enjoys my story so far. I shouldn't have mentioned some of those things with Mikhail, I suppose… but then, it will make later events a little more… comprehensible. Still, that first night with Cam is worth remembering—though of course I'd never describe _that_ to anyone….

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><p>It was just past midnight when we reached my house—our house now. Cam lifted me up and carried me, laughing, across the threshold into our new home, setting me down just inside. Someone—my mother, probably, or perhaps even Jessica or Rose—had come in at some point after we'd left and whisked around, putting the house to rights after all our preparations. There was even a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator and a pair of glasses on the counter.<p>

Cam turned to look at me and smiled. "You know, you are amazingly beautiful… Mrs. Blake."

I blushed, pleased that he thought so. "Thank you, Mr. Blake," I said with a laugh.

He removed his jacket and hung it up in the wardrobe, then turned and looked again at me. He reached for me and pulled me to him, stroking my cheek as he looked me in the eyes. "No regrets?"

"Only that it took me so long to make up my mind."

"That doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you _did_ make up your mind—and that we're here now, together." He leaned down and gave me a slow, gentle kiss, then he released me. "Care for a drink?"

"Yes, please, thank you. Though I'd like to get out of this dress first. I can hardly breathe!" I said as I slipped my shoes off.

He smiled, saying, "In that case, by all means." Seeing me struggle with the buttons, he came over to lend a hand. I slid the dress off and stepped out of it, feeling suddenly shy and self-conscious as he stood watching me. I felt my cheeks burning as I hung my gown in the wardrobe and reached for my kimono, but he put his hand on my arm to stop me from grabbing it.

"Wait," he said, his voice husky and low. He turned me around and pulled me to him. Holding my face in his hands, he leaned down and kissed me again, more hungrily than before, his tongue caressing my mouth and teasing my tongue. His hands slid down my shoulders and arms to reach around my waist, pulling my tightly to him. Pressing me to him with one hand on the small of my back, he reached up with his other hand to run his fingers through the waves and curls of my hair. When he reached the gardenia blossom, he carefully unpinned it, dropping it on the bedside table behind him.

He ran his hand down my back, then he released me and stepped back, his green eyes dark with the intensity of his desire. He ran his hands down my sides and over my hips, then kneeling down in front of me, he unclipped my stockings from the garter straps. Reaching up to my hips, he slowly slid the thong down, letting it fall to the floor. I could hear him inhale sharply as he exposed the fine, light curls of my pubic mound, and I blushed again at my nakedness—no one had ever seen me so… _exposed_ before, and I wondered if I met his expectations—if I compared favorably with the women in his past.

He reached up behind me and carefully unfastened the garter belt, letting it fall alongside the thong. Then he stood up and turned the bed covers back. He gently lifted me in his arms, carrying me to the bed and setting me down on the edge. He slowly removed my stockings, draping them over the footboard of the bed. Then he again lifted me, setting me on the center of the wide bed. He sat next to me and stroked my hair, looking me in the eyes. His expression softened, becoming inexpressibly tender, and he asked, "Nervous?"

I nodded as I shivered, fighting the urge to pull the covers up to my chin. "I hear it really hurts the first time," I explained, looking away as my blush deepened.

He cupped my chin in his hand and turned my face so that he could look me in the face. "I won't lie, it does hurt—sometimes a lot. And there'll be some bleeding. But it gets easier after the first time—easier _and_ more enjoyable. I'll be as gentle as possible, I promise. We'll just take it slow, okay? So try to relax—it will hurt more if you're tense." I nodded and tried to force the tension from my body.

He leaned over and kissed me, then stood and removed his shirt, hanging it alongside his jacket. After that, he sat on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes and socks. Then he stood again and unfastened his belt. He removed his trousers and hung them up, too, then slid his boxers off, letting them fall to the floor.

I blushed furiously as I looked at his member and quickly looked away—I'd never seen one before, and while I was curious, I was embarrassed to look while he watched me. He lay down alongside me, leaning on his elbow as he looked at me. "It's okay, you don't have to be embarrassed. You can look at me or touch me anywhere, in any way you want. You're my wife now—we belong to each other." I nodded, but still couldn't bring myself to look. After a minute, he sat up and said, "Would you feel more comfortable with the lights out?"

I looked quickly at him, then I sat up next to him, pulling the sheet up over us and leaning my head on his shoulder. "I… I don't know. No, it's okay. I'm sorry—I don't mean to be so… so shy. It's just… it's all new to me, and I don't know what to expect, and I…" I trailed off.

"You what?" he prompted me, putting his arm around me and gently pulling me closer to him.

I took a deep breath. "And I know it's not _your_ first time, and I keep wondering how I compare to the… the others, and worrying that you won't like it with me as much as with them, or that you won't think I'm as pretty, or that I'll do something wrong…"

He leaned over and kissed me, cutting me off mid-sentence. Then he pulled back and looked me in the eyes, brushing some stray locks away from my forehead. "Alice, try to forget about those others. Trust me, there's _no_ comparison. It's _you_ that I love; it's you that I want to spend my life with. You're the most beautiful woman in the world to me, both inside and out. I know you don't know what you're doing, and that you're nervous and inexperienced. Trust me, it's not at all off-putting. I feel like the luckiest man alive that you not only want to be my wife, but that I even get to be your first time."

I nodded, then blushing again, I said, "Can… can I… can I see it again?"

He smiled and I looked away, embarrassed again. He pulled the sheet back down, and I took another look. It seemed small and soft, and I was just wondering how it was going to work like that when he took my hand and put it on it. It seemed to spring to life under my hand, twitching and stretching and thickening before my eyes. I jumped, badly startled, and stifled a little shriek. I looked up at him, embarrassed by my reaction. "S-s-sorry! It… it startled me. I didn't know it was going to do that!" He just smiled, but I could see that he was struggling not to laugh. I felt completely mortified, then suddenly, and maybe irrationally, I felt angry—angry with myself for being such a self-conscious ninny and for being so nervous and jumpy, and even angry with him, though I wasn't clear why other than him laughing when he startled me. I gritted my teeth and looked up at him, determined to do it and do it _right_.

"Tell me what to do," I demanded, turning to kneel on the bed next to him, and he looked at me in surprise. When he didn't answer, I tried again. "Tell me what you want me to do—what you like." Now it was his turn to look uncomfortable, so I tried a different tact—I pushed him back against the pillows and started to kiss him. If I just focused on kissing, that made me less nervous—after all, we'd done that plenty of times. So I decided to start with the familiar and just take it from there.

I kissed him as we had kissed scores of times before—the only difference being that this time we were unclothed and in bed. I twined the fingers of one hand through his hair, and slowly traced circles on his chest with the other. He wasn't heavily muscled like Kana, nor did he have Mikhail's sleek, lithe build, but nevertheless he felt lean and strong as I ran my fingertips across his chest and down his abdomen. I traced lightly over his hip, then crossed over just below his navel, brushing my fingertips ever so lightly across his skin, then repeated on the other side. This time, though, I moved my fingers in slow, light circular motions, following the faint trail of hair that drew a line from his navel south. The thin line of hair spread out, and just then my fingertips brushed against his member, now fully erect and very hard. I hesitated, then—still kissing him fervently—I ran my fingers over the top and down the side.

Cam broke free and groaned, then pushed me back and leaned across me, kissing my face and neck as he worked his way down towards my breasts. As he took my nipple into his mouth, I began to feel the same hot pressure building up in the core of my belly as I'd felt that night with Mikhail. I moaned a little, twining my fingers through his hair as he kissed and sucked and caressed with his tongue. He held my breast with one hand, while the other traced circles over the other breast until it reached the nipple. He rolled the hard tip between his finger, and I gasped at his touch.

He raised himself up and looked at me, then with a smile, he said in the sexiest voice imaginable, "Let's take care of _you_ first." My eyes opened a little wider, then I smiled and reached for him, pulling him down to me to kiss him again.

As he crushed his lips against mine, his hand again lightly grazed over my skin, moving across my breast and down my abdomen. He paused and traced delicate circles around my navel, then continued down. He ran his fingers through the fine hair, then he pushed the slit apart and ran a fingertip along it. I could feel his finger spreading wetness, then he very, very gently pushed his fingertip into my opening. I inhaled sharply—even just his finger felt uncomfortably large. Remembering how big his erection was, I worried how he'd ever fit—then shut that thought out. After all, men and women had been having sex for thousands of years; surely everything would be fine.

He continued, sliding his finger in and out slowly and gently as if just getting me used to the motion. Eventually I relaxed, and as he felt the tension leaving me, he gently added another finger. I gasped—that was even more uncomfortable. But he just kissed me, leaving his fingers where they were but not moving them until he again felt me relax beneath his hand. Then slowly, so slowly, he again began to move them in and out. I tightened up a little again, but this time it didn't seem to really hurt so much—it was more like stretching a tight, aching muscle. When he decided that I'd relaxed enough, he slowly withdrew his fingers.

He gently stroked along the slit until he reached the sensitive nub near the top. He slowly traced tiny circles over and around it, gradually increasing the speed as he felt me responding to his touch. He broke free of our kiss and traveled down to my nipple, kissing and sucking it as my breathing became more and more ragged. I felt the pressure building in me, stronger and more intense than before, and soon I was gasping for breath, chanting his name like a mantra as the sky fell down around me, and I came, shuddering under his hand as I clutched his shoulders tightly.

He lay half across me, nuzzling my breast with his cheek, his hand still resting lightly against my wet slit, as my breathing quieted and I slowly relaxed. He raised himself up on an elbow to look at me, a tender light in his eyes and a smile on his lips. "I love you," he whispered, then leaned over to kiss me.

"I love you, too," I replied, nuzzling his head as he nestled his cheek against my neck.

After a moment, he moved his hand and again raised himself to look at me, slowly caressing my pubic mound. "Do you feel like giving it a try? It should be a little easier for you now than if we'd done it first."

"Don't talk so much," I murmured, and I pulled him down to kiss him. After a few minutes, he rolled back a little, pulling me with him, so that our positions were reversed. Then, still kissing, he took my hand and guided it down to him. He wrapped my fingers around the girth and, placing his hand over mine, slowly moved my hand up and down the length. Again I felt it twitch and harden in my hand, but this time it didn't startle me. Instead, I felt a thrill run through me that he was responding so enthusiastically to my touch, even if I _was_ inexperienced.

I kept moving my hand up and down his length even after he moved his hand away and began to caress and knead my breast, gently pinching my nipple and rolling it between his fingers. Soon he began to groan, and he reached down and stopped my hand, moving it away from him. He raised himself up as he pushed me back down on the bed. "I'm sorry, Alice. I can't wait any longer," he muttered hoarsely as he pushed my legs apart and slid across me. Holding himself over me, he slowly lowered himself until I could feel the tip just poking into the wetness between my thighs.

"Try to relax, Alice. I'll be as gentle as I can, but it'll still hurt." With that, he pushed into me, slowly and carefully but firmly. I'd found myself bracing for the pain and forced my muscles to relax, but while it was uncomfortable, it wasn't really painful either. Relief washed over me as I felt no _real_ pain, even when he was finally buried completely in me. He looked down at me anxiously. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

I shook my head. "No, not too bad anyway. Just… a little discomfort."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he also looked a little relieved that I wasn't suffering. He withdrew, then slowly pushed in again. "Still doing okay?" I nodded, and he closed his eyes as if trying to focus, sweat beading on his brow and trickling down his cheek. Then he gave a hoarse groan and said, "That's good, because I can't hold back anymore." Then he withdrew again and began thrusting in and out, faster and faster, his breathing ragged. Before very long at all, he cried out and gave a few particularly deep thrusts that almost—but not quite—hurt. He thrust a few more times, much more slowly, then slipped forward so that he was lying on top of me, damp with sweat, panting and gasping into my neck. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly as his breathing slowed, and soon he was asleep.

So _that's_ what sex is like, I thought to myself, then I, too, drifted off to sleep.

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><p>"Hey, Grandma, here's your tea and sandwich. What are you thinking about over here all by yourself? You're grinning like a Cheshire cat!" I laughed as I set the dishes on the table in front of her.<p>

She sat up and sighed, then looked up at me with her sweet smile and mischievous eyes. "Oh, nothing, my dear. Just some pleasant memories of your grandpa. Thank you for the snack. I feel as though I'd worked up a bit of an appetite."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	49. Chapter 48

**AN:** Drama alert! I hope you enjoy reading (or at least find it interesting)! I'd love to hear what you think! The next chapter will be posted on Thursday.

**SpaceDoobie:** I'll be sure to pass that along to Cheryl, lol. Though if you change your mind, Dirk is still unattached... ;) Also, I'm glad you liked that line in the previous chapter—though I think my favorite bit of lemon that I've written so far is in chapter 27 of my other fanfiction—the cave scene. Short and to the point! :)

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><p>Grandma finished her tea and set the cup and saucer on top of her empty sandwich plate, then she looked over at me and smiled. "So now I've told you the story up through the wedding, dear. We had a very enjoyable honeymoon in the town where I grew up, then we returned home and settled into married life. However, there is a <em>bit<em> more to my tale than that…."

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><p>Shortly after we returned from our honeymoon, I closed up the farmhouse in Konohana and we moved back to Bluebell. I had not seen Mikhail since my wedding night, though I learned that he was still residing in Konohana. Soon afterwards, Ash proposed to Laney, who joyfully accepted—to both Howard's and Jessica's delight and to Cheryl's dismay. Georgia and Kana were dating by then, as were Nori and Hiro—finally.<p>

It was the Sunday two weeks after our wedding, the first day of winter, when I woke up feeling very out of sorts. My head ached, and I felt strangely irritable, even going so far as to snap at Cam once or twice at breakfast. He seemed surprised, but he must have sensed that something was amiss—anyway, he didn't say anything about it.

After breakfast, I got up to clean up the kitchen when suddenly the room seemed to shift under my feet. The next thing I knew, I was doubled over, tossing my cookies all over the kitchen floor. Cam came running, and held me up until I was done. Then he helped me to bed, and he even cleaned up the mess on the floor. Afterwards, he came and checked on me. I guess he didn't like what he saw, because the next thing I knew, he was telling me to stay put—he was going to get Dr. Ayame to take a look at me.

At first I wondered if I could have picked a bad mushroom recently, but then I remembered I hadn't eaten any mushrooms recently. So I figured I must have picked up a virus, though I wasn't sure where—I couldn't remember anyone else being sick lately in either village. Maybe I picked up something on our trip or on the train? I couldn't think of what was wrong with me, so I just lay in bed waiting for Cam to return. I was so tired, much more so than usual, and I dozed off.

The doctor gently shook me awake. "Alice? Wake up, kiddo. Cam says you're feeling under the weather." I struggled to sit up, but I suddenly felt ill again. Dr. Ayame saw it coming, though, and managed to grab a bin just in time. When I was finished, she sent Cam to wait outside with Hiro and examined me—took my temperature, listened to my heart and lungs, the usual things. Then she asked me a bunch of questions—where I'd been lately, if I'd eaten any strange foods, and so on. Finally she asked when I'd last had a pelvic examination. She was a little shocked when I told her I'd never had one, so she performed one right then and there, despite the less than ideal situation.

When she was done, she packed up her black bag and called for Hiro to bring Cam back in. He hurried over and sat next to me on the bed, holding my hand as he turned to the doctor with a worried look. "So what is it, doctor? Is it a virus? Food poisoning? How long until she feels better?"

The doctor gave him a serious look, then looked over at me and back to him. "Well, it's not a virus, nor is it bacterial. As for when she'll be better…. I'd say around the start of next fall—give or take a little."

We both just stared at her, neither of us comprehending what she was getting at. She sighed and smiled at us. "Okay, let's try this again. Cam, Alice, you're going to have a baby. He or she should arrive around the start of fall, maybe even as soon as late summer. Congratulations, you two!"

I looked at Cam, too surprised to speak. However, I _certainly_ didn't expect what happened next.

Cam jumped up, his face as white as a sheet. "Th-that can't be right! No way, it's too soon! Are you sure, doctor? She's _definitely_ pregnant?"

The doctor looked surprised by his outburst. "Of course I'm sure. I did an internal examination. There's no mistaking it."

I sat up and climbed out of bed, concerned by his reaction. "Cam…?" I said, reaching out to him.

He whirled and glared at me, pushing my hand away. "_Pregnant_? _This_ soon? How do I know this baby is even mine? You shouldn't even be feeling sick for another week or two _at least_—unless you were _already_ pregnant when we got married!"

I gasped, feeling the blood drain from my face. "How could you… I was a _virgin_! You know that!"

"Do I?" he said, a strange look in his narrowed eyes. "You certainly didn't seem to feel much pain, and I remember there was no blood on the sheets the next morning. Virgins hurt and bleed the first time—I should know, as I've had a few! Tell me the truth—you _slept_ with him, didn't you? You said yourself that you were all over him that night! You _lied_ to me, didn't you?"

I stood there, shocked and open-mouthed, too stunned to speak for a minute. "Cam…." Dr. Ayame said, trying to intervene, but he shook her off and glared at me.

It was then that I regained the use of my faculties. I slapped him with all my strength—which, as a farmer, was not negligible—knocking him down to the floor. "How… how _dare _you? I _hate_ you!" I screamed. Then, sobbing, I turned and ran out the door into the falling snow.

As I raced down the long driveway, I could hear the front door open and Dr. Ayame shouting my name. I ignored her and darted off towards the tunnel. I ran through the tunnel to Konohana, instinctively heading for my farm there. Blinded by tears, I didn't see anyone on the road until I ran straight into somebody, knocking us both down.

It was Mikhail.

He picked himself up, brushing the snow from his clothing as he clicked his tongue in irritation. He looked down at me, and exclaimed in surprise, "Alice? What are _you_ doing here? And why are you bowling passersby over in this manner?"

I wasn't able to answer, I was too choked up. So I drew my knees up and hugged my legs, sobbing as I rested my forehead on my knees, mindless of the snow that settled over my head and clothing.

"Alice?" Mikhail repeated, sounding concerned this time. "What is it? What happened?" He held out a hand to help me up, but I just sat and sobbed, shaking my head. He knelt down next to me and patted my shoulder, a little awkwardly. "Alice, you can't stay out here in the snow like this. You'll make yourself ill. Come, now. Why don't you go home, get into some dry clothes, make some tea…"

I jumped up then, and shouted, "No! I'm _never_ going back! He can have the farm, he can have the animals, he can have _all_ of it—I don't care! I never want to see him again!" Then I burst into tears again as I sank down to the ground.

Mikhail exclaimed, "Ye gods, Alice, what on earth happened? Where were you heading when you ran into me?"

I sniffled and mumbled, "To my other farm."

"But… isn't that locked up? You wouldn't be able to get into the house."

"Don't care."

He sighed. "Alice… be reasonable. You can't sit out in the cold and snow. You'll get sick. I don't know what happened with you and… and Cam, but I do know he cares very much for you. If you get sick, he'll be worried."

I stood up and glared at him. "You don't know _anything_," I snarled, then I turned and stalked away.

He stared after me for a moment, then leapt and grabbed my hand. "Alice, is it really as bad as all that? You've only been married for two weeks. What could possibly have happened so soon that could change your feelings so drastically?"

I stood there stiffly, pulling away from him as he held me by my wrist. Then I gave up, my shoulders slumping in defeat. I looked back at him, and said, "Fine. I'll tell you. But… but not here." I started shivering violently then—I'd run off with no outerwear, wearing only my jeans and a long-sleeved top and the lightweight slip-on shoes I usually wore around the house in cold weather. My clothes were soaked from the snow that had fallen on me melting, and my feet were tingling from the cold.

Mikhail looked me over, frowning in concern, then nodded. "Yes, we need to get you indoors as soon as possible, or you'll catch your death. Let's see… if you don't want to go home just yet, maybe Ina can let you borrow the spare guest room in the town hall. Come on, Alice. Just follow me."

He pulled me along the path to the town hall, and we stepped inside. It was cozy and warm inside thanks to the small but efficient wood stove Ina had installed several years back. Mikhail pulled me over to the counter there, and Ina turned around, her customary smile turning into an expression of surprise. "Oh! Alice? Well, this is a surprise! What can I do for you, either of you?" She looked expectantly from me to him and back again.

Mikhail spoke up. "Alice… needs temporary shelter, just for a few days, I would imagine. Is the other guest room avail—"

I pushed past him and stood directly in front of Ina. "I want to file for divorce. The sooner, the better."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	50. Chapter 49

**AN:** Sorry for any heart attacks I may have inadvertently caused with the previous chapter! I hope this one is easier on everyone's health. Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear how you're liking the story! ;)

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><p>I sat in Mikhail's room, still shivering despite having exchanged my cold, wet clothing for a dry robe, and despite the hot milk I was drinking and the crackling fire in the fireplace. Mikhail sat on a chair opposite me, watching me with concern as I shivered and sipped my drink.<p>

When I had announced that I wanted a divorce, Ina and Mikhail both had just stared at me, open-mouthed with shock. Ina recovered first, saying, "Alice, are you quite sure about that? It's only been two weeks—surely you can't have any problems already that you can't work out?"

Then Mikhail spoke up, saying, "While I admit that I would be delighted to see you free of him, at the same time, I beg of you to stop and think and not rush into anything. Think about how long you took to decide you wanted to marry him in the first place—don't hastily divorce him in a fit of pique, because you may change your mind and find it's too late."

"It's _not_ a fit of pique—it's that… I've discovered that he isn't at all who I thought he was, and I can't even stand to be in the same room as him right now. Ina, I'm quite sure this is what I want, so what do I need to do?"

Reluctantly, she pulled out some forms from a file cabinet and passed them over to me with a sigh. "If you're absolutely certain…. First, you need to file for a trial separation. You can do that on your own—you don't need anything from Cam for that. The requirements for divorce are: complete a trial separation of not less than two weeks, complete a minimum of four one-hour sessions of marriage counseling from a qualified counselor, and finally, _both_ of you have to fill in and sign the petition to have your marriage dissolved. The qualified counselors in the two towns are myself, Rutger, and Dr. Ayame. The sessions need to all be with the same counselor, but you can choose any one of the three of us. But before you fill in the paperwork for a trial separation, why don't you first get out of your wet things, warm up, and rest? I must say, whatever it is that has happened seems to have taken its toll on you—you look bone-weary."

So she'd taken me up to her apartment, found a thick, warm bathrobe for me to borrow, and while I changed, she made me a large mug of hot milk. She brought me back downstairs and handed me over to Mikhail, asking him to keep an eye on me while I rested.

Back in his room, after several minutes of sitting and watching me, he spoke up. "Alice, what's this all about? What happened? Why do you think you want to divorce Cam?"

At his questions, I began to shake harder and harder, until I could barely keep from spilling the cup. Seeing my distress, he came over and sat next to me, taking the cup from my hands and holding it to my lips. After a few more swallows, I began to relax a little, and the trembling subsided somewhat. He set the cup down and leaned back, waiting for an explanation.

After another few minutes passed in silence, he leaned forward slightly, saying, "Well, Alice?"

I felt my face crumple as the tears began again. Sobbing I turned towards him and threw my arms around his neck. He tensed up, startled, then awkwardly began to pat my shoulder. As soon as I could speak again, I told him what had happened—about falling ill so suddenly, the doctor's visit and the result of her examination, then about Cam's shocking response to the news and his venomous accusations.

When I looked at him, he appeared incensed—staring straight ahead at nothing, his jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed. "That brainless son-of-a-bitch," he hissed. He blinked and his eyes came into focus as he turned to look at me. He forced his face to relax, then smiled reassuringly at me. "It'll be okay, Alice. Don't worry. I'll go talk to him."

I pulled back in alarm. "Are… are you sure about that? I mean… it's not like the two of you got along all that well in the best of times. And now… wouldn't that just confirm all his accusations in his mind?"

"Not if I break his neck, it won't," he muttered. I must have looked as panicked as I felt, because he smiled again, then patting me on my shoulder, said, "Don't worry, I won't break him… not much, anyway. Stay here and warm up. I'll be back in a while."

It felt like he was gone for hours and hours. After I finished my hot milk, I got up and paced back and forth before the fireplace, restless with nervous energy, and cold with something deeper than a mere chill. After I while, I became sleepy, so I lay down on the side of Mikhail's bed nearest to the fire, pulled his blankets up, and quickly fell asleep.

I dreamed of a day on our honeymoon that we'd spent at the river—the same river that flowed past my parents' farm. The sky was a deep blue with only a few puffy white clouds. The leaves from the maples and oaks and poplars had changed color and begun to drop, and colorful leaves floated downstream on the river like a flotilla of tiny boats. We just sat by the river, sometimes talking and sometimes kissing, watching the river and the leaves. It had been a lovely afternoon.

But in my dream, something was different… wrong. I sensed it, but I couldn't see what was amiss. Cam leaned in to kiss me, and for a moment I forgot my worries, just melting into his embrace. But when I pulled back, it was no longer Cam I was kissing—it was Henry, grinning evilly at me. "You're mine, now—no one will save you _this_ time. No one can save you from _yourself_," he hissed as he pulled out his large hunting knife and slid the cold metal up my chest, resting the point against my throat for a moment. Then he grabbed my arm and began to shake me, angrily. "I'm back, Alice—do you hear me? _I'm back!_" he shouted, and with a scream I sat bolt upright in bed.

Mikhail had his hand on my arm and was shaking me gently to wake me. "It's okay, Alice, I'm back now. Do you hear me? Wake up, Alice! You're having a nightmare!"

I looked around, still dazed, confused first that I was no longer in my dream, then that I wasn't in my own bed, in my own home. Then it all came flooding back to me: I was pregnant, my husband thought I was unfaithful and a liar, and I'd fallen asleep in Mikhail's bed while he went to try to talk sense into my husband. I looked up at him, fighting back tears.

He sighed and stroked my hair, his look and gesture answering my unspoken question better than any words. I looked away, unable to stop the tears then. "So… what happened?" I asked, dully. I was surprised that my earlier fury had left, only to be replaced with a sort of cold ache in the pit of my stomach.

"I found him working at his stall, as I'd expected. He wasn't terribly pleased to see me, I must say, but he put a sign up on his stall and we walked outside of town. I told him that he was a fool and an idiot, and he punched me." I looked quickly back over to him, and that's when I saw the slowly darkening spot on his jaw. I gasped, but he waved away my concern and continued. "He asked me how dare I speak to him that way, after what I'd done, and I replied that I'd done nothing and he was an ass to think that I had. I said to him, 'Do you honestly think that if I'd made love to Alice, that she would have returned to marry you? Do you honestly believe that I would sit back and let my child be raised by another man, when I could simply marry the one love of my life so that we could raise our child together?'" He shook his head in irritation. "Then I told him, 'Alice never deceived you. The only one deceiving you is yourself. Furthermore, if Alice ever does decide to leave your boneheaded self, know that I will always be there waiting for her. And I, for one, would never willingly let her go—let alone drive her away.' Then I left him to think over what I'd said."

I saw then that he was also favoring his hand. I reached out and grabbed it, then turned it over. His knuckles were bloodied and raw, and again I gasped. "What… what happened to you? Did you hit him back? How did you hurt your hand so badly?"

"Ah, well, that. When he punched me, I punched back—but only into the tree he was leaning against. I didn't punch him in the face like I so badly wanted to do. But at least it got his attention."

I snorted—I bet it had. I slid out of his bed and straightened the covers. "I don't know how to thank you for all you've done—for listening to me and giving me a place to dry off and warm up… not to mention calm down. Thanks, Mikhail. But now I'd better get out of your hair."

He grabbed my hand and held it, looking concerned. "What will you do now?"

"Oh, I'm not really going to just let him take the farm. That's _my_ farm, dammit—the product of a lot of sweat and tears and even a little blood. Not just mine, but my ancestors', too. And I'm certainly not going to just throw all that aside just because my husband is being a prick."

"And are you still intending to file for divorce?"

"Yes. It looks as though he doesn't really trust me after all, doesn't it? And he's certainly damaged my trust for him. Trust is the foundation for a good marriage—or at least, that's what my parents always said, and they've sure had a long, happy marriage. If we don't trust each other, there's not a lot of point in continuing on. I'll manage somehow—I always do, you know." I gave him a halfhearted smile.

I gathered my dried clothing from where they'd been draped near the fire, then I started out the door to change in Ina's apartment and return her robe to her. As I opened the door, Mikhail called to me. "Alice?" I turned and looked at him. "I meant what I told Cam. If you ever _do_ leave him—_ever_, no matter how much time has passed—I will be waiting for you. I… just want you to know that."

I felt my heart skip a beat, and I walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," I whispered, then I left.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	51. Chapter 50

**AN:** WTAF Cam?!

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><p>After leaving Mikhail's room, I went to my farm and tended to my fields, finding some small solace in the physical exertion. Afterwards, I returned to the town hall and completed the paperwork for our separation, taking two sets of copies—one for my records and one to deliver to Cam. Then I stopped by Dr. Ayame's clinic and explained to her that after the morning's fiasco, I was planning to divorce Cam, and that I'd picked her to meet our counseling requirement. She was shocked and distressed, though she also sympathized as she'd witnessed his reaction to what <em>should<em> have been wonderful news. She gave me a list of available times for counseling sessions, and I told her I'd find out what times worked for Cam and let her know.

I rode back to Bluebell, stopping to belatedly tend to my livestock before heading into town. I felt apprehensive at seeing Cam after they way he'd blown up at me that morning, but it had to be done. I walked up the stairs to the plaza, seeing that his flower stall was still open, despite all that had happened that day. Taking a deep breath, I walked up to the counter. He looked up as I approached, scowling and turning away when he saw me approaching. I felt my stomach knot up, but I steeled myself for the upcoming interview.

Stepping in front of him at the counter, I looked at him and cleared my throat to get his attention. Without a word, I held out the paperwork showing that we were now legally, if temporarily, separated. He took them and glanced at them, then at me, then back at the papers, his scowl deepening as he read them over. Throwing the stack of papers down and crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at me. "So. That's it, then, is it? Going back to _Mikhail_, I suppose?"

Even though I'd been half expecting a reaction like that, it still felt as though he'd just punched me in the stomach, and I gasped a little in shock. "I can't go back to where I've never been," I said, sharply, lifting my chin and holding my head high. "Besides, since it seems pretty clear to me that you don't want me _or_ our child, what _possible_ difference could it make to you where I go or what I do?"

He just stared at me for a moment, then he turned his back to me. "None at all," he said flatly.

"Then here's a list of times that Dr. Ayame can meet with us to satisfy the requirements for divorce. When can you come?"

"What requirements?" he asked, turning back to look at the paper I held out to him.

"Ina says that the requirements for divorce in either of the two towns is to first complete a trial separation of at least two weeks, then complete a minimum of four one-hour counseling sessions with either Ina, Rutger, or Dr. Ayame. It doesn't matter which, but they all need to be with the same counselor. And finally, we both have to complete and sign the paperwork to have our marriage dissolved. Then you'll be rid of me."

A strange light came in his eyes as he stared at the paper in his hand. "Counseling sessions, huh?" He dropped the paper on top of the pile of other papers and turned away. "I'm too busy to think about it right now. I'll let you know."

I sighed—it seemed he wasn't going to make this easy, though I didn't understand why. I turned to leave, then turned back again. "By the way, are you coming to get your things tonight, or shall I see to it?"

He shrugged, saying only, "Whatever, I don't care. Do what you want—that's what you'll end up doing anyway, isn't it?"

I flushed with anger, then turned on my heel and stormed off without another word. I returned to my farm and gathered up all his things, dumping it all into my cart. Then I tossed Cowboy's tack on top of the pile, harnessed Nubium to the cart, and grabbed Cowboy by his halter. I walked the horses and cart back into town, threw the contents of the cart onto the ground in front of Cam's stall as he watched, turning purple with silent rage. Without a word, I led the horses to Grady's, where I left Cowboy in Georgia's care, explaining to the distressed young woman that she'd need to make boarding arrangements with Cam for the future. Then I returned to the farm and unhooked the cart, parking it next to the house as usual. I tended to my mare, then returned to Konohana, where I sought out Mikhail.

He was practicing his violin when I knocked on his door, and when he saw me standing there, he let me in and set it aside, gesturing me to have a seat. "I'd offer you a drink, as you look as though you need one, but under the circumstances…."

I shook my head. "No, thanks anyway. I'd better not. I just… want some company. I feel very alone right now. I… I don't want our friends to feel like they have to take sides, so I haven't told anyone so far other than you and Ina, and mentioning to Georgia that she'd need to arrange for boarding Cam's horse with him now. A-am I bothering you? I didn't mean to interrupt your practicing."

"No, it's fine. Did you file the paperwork and talk to Cam?"

I sighed. "Yes… and it looks like he's not going to make this easy for me, either. When I tried to get him to tell me when he could meet for counseling, he brushed it off and said he'd let me know. And he had this look in his eyes… I just _know_ he's going to be difficult. I don't understand it. After all the things he said, there's no _way_ he could still want to be married to me, so why doesn't he just let me go? Why would he want to make it difficult if he doesn't even care about me anymore?"

"Did he actually _say_ he doesn't care for you anymore? That he wants you out of his life?" he asked leaning back with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well… no, not _exactly_. But I still think it was pretty damn clear from the stuff he said. You just don't say things like that to someone you love and care about. And even if he hasn't said it in so many words, he also hasn't denied it when I've said as much."

"Men… _some_ men, that is, can be very possessive about the women in their lives. He could be furious with you, even hate you, but still prefer to keep his hold on you than let you go to another man. It's… well, I suppose a sort of territorial behavior, probably with a large dash of pride mixed in." He hesitated, looking like he was thinking hard about something. A few minutes later, he said, hesitantly, "If he should prove obstinate… well, I suppose you should know you have other options open to you."

"What do you mean?" I asked him, curiously.

"I mean… the requirements for divorce in these two towns are a trifle… unusual. If you were to go to another town in the area—nearly any large town or city—the requirements would be simpler. You'd only need to be resident in the district for some minimum period of time before filing for divorce—_if_ there are no children. So you'd have to do it before your child is born, or else everything becomes far more complicated."

"What about Port Crescent? Do you know what the requirements there are? Beth would probably let me stay with her, if it came to that."

He smiled slightly and shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm not particularly well-versed in divorce law. I only know that much from various discussions I've overheard or participated in from time to time."

I sighed. "Well, hopefully it won't come to that, anyway. I can't believe what a change there was in him this morning. He was so… _different_. Not at all the Cam I knew and loved. I don't know where that Cam has gone to… or perhaps he only ever existed in my mind, and deep down, he's _always_ been like this. I just don't know what to think anymore."

He came over and sat next to me, putting his arm around me. He seemed less awkward than he had earlier, which I found comforting. It was good to know that whatever happened, I had at least _one_ friend. I leaned against his shoulder and sighed, thinking over all that had happened for the hundredth time that day. He sat quietly stroking my hair, and when I looked up at him, he appeared to be lost in thought. I watched him for a few minutes, then I nestled up to him a little.

"Hey, Mikhail?"

"Hmm?" he said with a slight start, coming out of his reverie.

"I guess I should have married _you_, huh?"

He stiffened, his hand motionless against my shoulder. "I… I'm not quite sure how to respond to that, Alice. Obviously I would feel so. But you _didn't_, and you had your reasons for choosing as you did. What's done is done."

I reached up and caressed his cheek, feeling a sudden wave of regret and longing wash over me. I _did_ have my reasons, and they had made sense at the time, but now….

I pulled him down to me to kiss him, but he pushed me gently away and shook his head. "No, Alice. Don't. Even if you've filed for separation from your husband, it's all too soon—too fresh. You're vulnerable, whether you realize it or not, and I won't take advantage of you now any more than I would before."

"Then when…." I started, but I wasn't sure how to ask what I wanted to know.

He sighed and looked down at me. "Give it some time. Imagine if in a few days you both calm down and decide to reconcile. If during that time you'd been with me—think of how he'd feel when he learned of it, of the guilt you'd feel. I don't want to be your guilty secret, Alice—now or ever. So let's just wait and see how things go between you and Cam first."

I nodded, then rose. "Then I suppose I'd better get out of your hair and let you get back to practicing." I hesitated for a minute, then said, "I… I wondered if you'd care to come for dinner tomorrow? And maybe we could practice together? If you aren't too busy, that is."

He stood and smiled down at me. "That would be nice. I have to say I've missed our duets." Then he gave me a little kiss on the top of my head before closing the door behind me.

The next several days were very difficult. Cam seemed bent on making my life as miserable as possible. He steadfastly refused to commit to counseling sessions, always making excuses or saying he was too busy to think about it. When he learned that Mikhail had been coming to spend the evenings with me fairly regularly, he used _that_ as an excuse, saying that he'd _planned_ to stop by to discuss times for counseling sessions that night, but he hadn't wanted to interrupt my _date_. On his days off, he'd hound me from a distance as I foraged on the mountain trails. His continual presence in the distance was at first just an annoyance, but soon I began to feel harassed. It was a relief when Saturday came and he returned to work.

Also within a few days, nearly everyone in both villages had learned of our fight and subsequent separation. And while I hadn't wanted our private spat to polarize the residents, I also hadn't been prepared for the nearly universal condemnation that was directed towards Cam. Even Howard and Laney took a very dim view of events—or whatever they'd heard of them, because I hadn't said a word to anyone outside of Mikhail and Ina, and I was pretty sure neither of them—nor Dr. Ayame and Hiro, who'd both been present—would have said anything. But it seemed that _someone_ had, and that someone seemed inclined to paint Cam in an unfavorable light—so I was also sure it wasn't Cam spreading the talk around. Still, it was a small relief to just have people know and not have to go through the pain of reliving that morning for each and every person, though I really wished they wouldn't take sides in our spat.

I tried again on Sunday, one week after we learned I was pregnant, to get Cam to agree to even just _one_ counseling session—or to agree to start going to sessions with a different counselor. Whatever it took to just get the ball rolling, so I could put all this behind me. As usual, he circumvented my attempts, this time changing the subject to ask how things were going with Mikhail. Again I brushed him off, pointing out yet again that my private life was no longer any of his business ever since he'd rejected me and our child. If he didn't want us in his life, I reminded him, it was none of his concern with whom I—and eventually our child—spent time with. That seemed to strike him a little differently than in the past for some reason, and his eyes narrowed as he replied, "Fine. Do what you want." He turned his back to me, and I knew that any further attempts to get him to schedule sessions would be a waste of time.

This time, though, I felt as though I'd taken all I could from him, so I grabbed his shoulder and turned him back towards me. "Listen to me. If you don't get your act together and start going to those counseling sessions with me very, _very_ soon, I'm going to go elsewhere to file for divorce—somewhere that I don't need your consent. It's _going_ to happen, one way or another. I don't get why you're being so difficult when you clearly despise me and want me out of your life. Just get it over with so we can _both_ move on, already! I'll give you until Tuesday to agree to times, no later." Then I turned and stormed off angrily.

That evening, I told Mikhail about it, and said, "If he still refuses to agree to those counseling sessions by Tuesday, I'm going to ask my brother to come and take over my farms while I go stay in Port Crescent for however long is necessary to be able to file for divorce there. If Beth can't take me in, I'll stay in that guest house again, if Mrs. Cavell has a room available. Or I'll find another place. Whatever it takes. I can't stand this—the way he's acting—anymore."

He nodded his head and put his arm around my shoulders. "Yes, he's being rather childish and petty, I'm afraid. Still, he may come around at last when he sees you're determined."

"I hope so," I sighed, picking up my violin. Music had become my one release from the nearly intolerable strain that each day seemed to bring. We practiced together for a few hours before he left for his room in Konohana. This time, he gave me a kiss when he said good night. I looked surprised, and he smiled. "It looks like things aren't really improving between the two of you. So… I allowed myself a tiny, cautious glimmer of hope."

The next morning I strolled into town, feeling relaxed for once as it was Cam's day to visit his parents' graves—he'd be out of town until very late, so I didn't have to worry about running into him or being followed by him. As I stood perusing the message board, Laney came out of the café. Seeing me, she called out an enthusiastic greeting and hurried over.

"Hey, I just wanted to say how glad I am that you two have _finally_ made up!"

I stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Although… I mean, well… not to put _too_ fine a point on it, but maybe in the future you could go back to your farm instead? I mean, it _is_ your home. And, well… you _were_ rather loud last night," she said, blushing.

"What on earth are you talking about?" I finally managed to say.

"Oh, come _on_! Daddy and I could hear you two going at it _well_ into the night. I had no idea Cam had so much… _stamina_! I was amazed he was able to get out of bed so early this morning!" she giggled.

I felt the blood drain from my face. "Laney… I was at home in my own bed all night last night, _alone_." We stared at each other in horror as the implications of our words dawned on us.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	52. Chapter 51

**AN:** Lemon alert! Perhaps even _creamy_ lemon, I dunno. But anyway, **this chapter is rated M for explicit lemons, a.k.a. "adult situations"**, so if you don't like that or shouldn't be reading it, please just pass on by. Honestly, at least half the chapter is lemony, so... yeah. Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear what you think! :)

**SpaceDoobie:** No, it isn't—but that _would_ be an interesting twist! :)

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><p>I stared at Laney as the blood drained from my face. Then I turned and began to make my way home, stumbling as if drunk or injured.<p>

"Hold on, Alice—you're in no shape to be walking around by yourself right now! I'll help you get home," Laney said, putting an arm around me to steady me. I stammered out a thanks, and we headed home. I don't know if anybody saw us—if we met anyone on the road, I was not in any condition to notice. Somewhere in the back of my mind I felt thankful it was Monday—there was no way I could bear to see Cam right then.

Laney got me into my house and helped me change into pajamas and a robe. She made us some tea and sat with me on my sofa. Watching me as she took a sip of her tea, she said, angrily, "When _that boy_ gets home, he's got a _lot_ of explaining to do. I'm not going to let him off easily _this_ time! I don't know _what_ he was thinking!"

I sipped my tea and shook my head slowly. "No, Laney, please don't." She looked at me in surprise, and I went on. "This is something private between him and me. I… I hate that people are taking sides. I don't understand why Cam is acting this way, or doing these things. But I don't want to get others involved. Maybe he turned out to be not such a great husband… but that doesn't mean he's necessarily a bad _person_. This _is_ his hometown—you are the people he's known all his life. I'm a comparative outsider. Please don't make him out to be the bad guy. Just… just treat each of us as you did before we got married, and let us deal with things in our own time and in our own way."

She thought about it for a minute. "I don't know. It seems like if he's doing wrong by you, that we should tell him that we know what he's doing and that we don't think too highly of it. But… maybe you've got a point. Maybe we _should_ just step back and give you two space to work things out, to whatever end. Before, I'd hoped that you'd get back together, that you'd resolve whatever it was that came between you. But now…."

I sighed. "Yes. But now. It doesn't look very promising, does it?" I shook my head. "It's funny… he's been unfairly accusing me of lying and cheating, and now look at what _he's_ gone and done to _me_. The only thing that's stopped me from running to Mikhail has been some _slight_ hope that maybe—just _maybe_—Cam and I could patch things up. I mean, he's been so difficult, refusing to complete the requirements for divorce, I had myself half convinced that he regretted his words and wanted to get back together. But I… I guess not."

Laney was reluctant to leave me alone, as upset as I was, but she needed to return to the café, too, to clean up from the lunch rush and prepare for the dinner rush. So she appeared relieved when, upon hearing a knock on my door, she answered it to find Mikhail standing there, violin case in hand. "Oh, thank goodness it's _you_," she exclaimed, letting him in. "I'm _so_ glad to see you!"

He looked at her with confusion as he slipped off his snowy shoes. "That's… nice?"

Laney pushed him towards the sitting area of the small house. "No, no—I mean… well, perhaps it's better for Alice to fill you in. I _really_ need to get back to work, but I didn't want to leave her alone like this. If _anyone_ can cheer her up right now, it'll be you, so I'll get going and let you two talk." She gave me a quick, reassuring hug and dashed out the door.

Mikhail set his violin down and hung his coat up, then he came over and sat next to me, looking worried. "Alice? What is it? What's happened? You're as white as a sheet—are you unwell? Do I need to get you to the clinic? Is it the baby?"

I shook my head, then picked up my cup and rose to make more tea. I was shaking so hard though, that Mikhail immediately pushed me back down on the sofa. "Stay here, I'll make you some tea. Do you want mint tea? Are you feeling ill?" I nodded my head, and he took my cup and went into my kitchen.

He returned a few minutes later with two cups of tea. He handed me mine and sat next to me. "So what was Laney talking about? Fill me in on what?"

The concern in his voice finally pierced my numbness, and I started to cry. He quickly set his cup down and scooted closer, putting his arm around me. "Alice? What is it?"

Burying my face in his shoulder, I managed to wail between hiccupping sobs, "I-I was t-t-talking with Laney, and she thought C-Cam and I had m-made up, b-because she said we were so noisy in his b-bedroom last night, b-but it wasn't _me_ with him!" I burst into tears again, shaking as I cried into his shirt.

He groaned, and put his arms around me, holding me tightly. "That… that _jackass_—that good-for-nothing louse. What a complete bastard."

"I-I thought maybe he was changing his mind," I sobbed, "and that was why he wouldn't go to counseling—because he didn't _really_ want a divorce. I was so wrong! Why? Why is he _doing_ all this? He seemed so nice before… before we found out I was pregnant. I'm such an idiot."

"Shhh, no—no, you're not. I can't even begin to guess what's going on inside his head. I don't know if he had everyone fooled and he's really just a jerk, or if it's something else. But either way, it's _not_ your fault. And if it's the latter, you can't help it if he refuses to deal with whatever his problem is—which is what counseling would help him to do, if he'd only go."

I shook my head, still pressed against his shoulder. "It doesn't matter anymore, anyway. Whatever I thought, whatever I _hoped_—I was wrong. It _has_ to be over now. He wouldn't have done that to me if there was any chance of us getting back together, so as far as he's concerned, there's no chance at all of that happening. I don't know why he hates me so much, why he was so quick to believe that I was a liar and that I'd cheated on him. Was I not good enough for him? Not pretty enough? Not exciting enough? Maybe he really _didn't_ like sex with me as much as with all those other girls, after all—but it's not _my_ fault that I'm still learning… is it? Was I too slow to catch on? I just wish I knew…. And then there's the baby—he won't even believe she's his. So I now I'll have to figure out a way to raise her on my own while still managing my farms… hire a nanny to take care of her while I'm working, maybe. I don't know…. I-I feel so overwhelmed. It _finally_ feels like it's ending now. It felt like a nightmare before, but now I feel like I've woken up to find it wasn't just a bad dream—it's really happening to me. I… I feel sick and miserable and… and… pathetic and inadequate. I wish I could just go to sleep and not wake up." I started to cry again—I thought I'd cried myself out, but apparently I hadn't yet.

As I sat weeping, Mikhail held me tightly, stroking my hair and murmuring reassuringly to me—that I wasn't pathetic or inadequate, that I was lovely and desirable and that Cam didn't know how fortunate he was, nor did he know a good thing when he had it, and that I was everything any man of sense and good taste could ever hope for. After a while, his soothing voice and touch quieted my tears, and I sighed deeply. He gently wiped the tears from my cheeks, then tilted my chin up to look into my eyes. "Alice, you are my everything. I can't bear to see you like this—so torn up and brokenhearted because of that… that _cretin_. I want more than anything for you to be happy, so…. Well, I may regret this someday, but…." And he leaned in and kissed me, so gently… so tenderly… so… _lovingly_.

It was what I needed more than words—more than _anything_—simply to love and be loved, to know that I was not the drab, unappealing creature that lately Cam had made me feel I was. To know that at least _one_ man found me desirable and worthwhile, even if that man was not my erstwhile husband. So for me his kiss was like a gentle shower of rain on a wilting flower, and I found myself responding to his touch with more ardor than any Cam had yet excited in me.

I reached up and, wrapping one arm around his neck, I caressed his short, soft hair. I ran my fingertips down his cheek, feeling the faint traces of stubble along his jaw, and on down his neck to his collar before reaching up to twine my fingertips through the hair at the back of his head, pulling him more firmly to me as I kissed him greedily. He broke away and kissed my face and neck as he lifted me in his arms and carried me to my bed, setting me down gently on the edge—kissing me all the while. He reached down and untied my robe, and I stood and shrugged out of it, letting it slip down around me. I reached up and began to unbutton his shirt as he kissed down my neck and shoulders. I felt dizzy, my senses overwhelmed by desire as I slid his shirt off his shoulders and reached up to caress his smooth, bare chest.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek against his chest. He pulled my camisole up over my head, letting it fall to the floor as he caressed my sides and belly, then he untied my pajama bottoms and let them fall to the floor, leaving me standing naked before him. I reached my arms around his neck and kissed him, pressing my breasts into his bare abdomen as I ran my nails down his spine. He shivered at my touch, and pulled me firmly to him. I could feel him bulging against me, just below my navel, and felt another wave of dizziness wash over me.

Reaching the waist of his trousers, I ran my fingers lightly above the waistband around to the front, then reached down to unbuckle his belt. I undid the top button of his trousers, then unzipped them and let them fall to the floor. Still kissing him, I again reached up around his neck, tracing faint patterns on the back of his neck and running my fingers through his hair.

He slid his hands along my ribs and down to my hips, then ran his hands over my bare backside, gripping it tightly and pulling me hard against him. Grasping my right thigh, he raised it up as he pressed into and ground against me, his boxers the last remaining obstacle between us. He kissed me urgently, hungrily, down my chin and throat and to first one breast, then the other, as I ran my hands down his back, scraping my nails lightly against his skin. I reached the waist of his boxers, and slid them down until they, too, dropped to the floor.

As I tentatively reached down and lightly stroked along his shaft, he buried his face in my neck and groaned, thrusting his hips into me as he wrapped his arms around my back and crushed me to him. He lifted me up and set me on the bed, then climbed up and lay on top of me, kissing my neck and shoulders and breasts. Cupping a breast in his hand, he took my nipple into his mouth, sucking and nipping and rolling his tongue around the hard tip. I gasped and moaned as his touch sent little shocks through my body, and I clasped his lower back with one hand while clutching his head with the other. Arching my back, I pressed firmly up to him as he pressed his erection against me in response.

He slid down and off the bed, kissing down my abdomen, around my navel and beyond, then pulled my hips to the edge and placed my legs over his shoulders. He leaned in and gently began to kiss along the wetness of my slit, spreading it open to better access the sweet spot. I gasped and tightened my grip with my legs as he caressed me with his tongue, gently nibbling and sucking until I began to feel the waves of ecstasy crashing over me. I cried out, moaning and gasping as I climaxed, shuddering in his grasp.

Once my quivering ceased and my breathing quieted, he released me and kissed me just below my navel a few times, then rested his cheek against my belly as he gently stroked my thigh. Then he rose and lifted me up, shifting me across the bed before he straddled me, leaning down to kiss me. I was startled by the taste of his kiss—sweet and a little sour and a tiny bit salty. Cam had never done anything like that to me, so I hadn't known what to expect.

As we kissed, I soon began to feel the pressure building up again in my the pit of my stomach. As I became more and more aroused, I kissed him with increasing passion, running my fingers through his hair and down his spine as before. He broke away and began to kiss down my neck, then he stopped and bit gently at my neck, sucking on the soft skin near the base of my neck as I moaned and squirmed beneath him—it was an incredibly intense sensation—and my breathing again became ragged as my need for his touch became almost unbearable.

Pulling back, he slid his legs between my thighs before rising up on his hands and knees. He reached up with one hand and caressed my cheek, looking so lovingly into my eyes that I felt as though I would melt away. Then he slipped his arms behind my legs, the backs of my knees cradled against the insides of his elbows, and leaning forward so that his abdomen rested against the backs of my thighs, he gently but firmly thrust into me, still gazing into my eyes.

I cried out, throwing my arms around his neck and clutching him tightly. That one thrust brought me so close to the brink—it felt so good, so… _perfect_. He moved slowly at first, thrusting deeply into me and sliding back out, like a hunger that repeatedly abated and returned. Before very long, though, he picked up the pace, and his thrusts became even deeper, firmer, and faster. His eyes glazed slightly and became unfocused, as did mine, and a moment later I once again felt lost in an explosion of light and color as I cried out his name, helpless in the frenzy of an intense climax. As I trembled and quaked beneath him, he hoarsely cried out my name over and over, plunging ever deeper into me as he joined me, transported by our rapture.

He collapsed forward onto my thighs, panting and breathless. Releasing my legs, he slipped down so that he was again laying across me as we both tried to catch our breath. He kissed my neck and shoulder languidly as I traced lazy circles and figure-eights across his back and neck. After a moment, he rolled off to the side, and I nestled up against him, laying my head on his shoulder as I gently rubbed his chest.

"Alice?" he asked after he'd caught his breath again.

"Hmmm?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that with you?"

"No, how long? A year? Surely not much longer than that—we only became reacquainted a little less than a year and a half ago," I said, sleepily.

"More than twelve years," he replied, nuzzling his cheek against my hair.

I sat up and looked at him in surprise. "Since you were _thirteen_? You can't be serious!"

"Well, maybe not _that_ exactly—but I've wanted to hold you in my arms and kiss you and… to know you _intimately_, every square inch of you, even before I really understood quite what that entailed. That's why I was so cold to you at first, you know—not because I despised you, but because I adored you from first sight… and it was so overwhelming. I'd never felt so drawn to anyone before, nor have I since."

I snuggled back up against him, laying my head on his chest as I kissed it. "I always _did_ wonder why you were so cold at first and then changed so… so suddenly." I tried and failed to stifle a huge yawn. Since we were laying diagonally on the bed, I scooted over and climbed under the blankets, and he slid underneath the covers alongside me. I curled up against him and lay my head on his chest, my arm across his abdomen.

"Thank you, Mikhail—for… for everything," I said as I began to drift off to sleep.

The last thing I heard as I slipped into slumber was his voice whispering into my hair, "I love you."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	53. Chapter 52

**AN: This chapter is rated M for lemons, but _only_ in the first part.** For those of you who are not partial to such things or who shouldn't be reading them, I've put double lines with a note to indicate where lemons end. **The second part of the chapter in particular is important to the story, so please don't skip it!** Just scroll down to the double line and read from that point on if you want to avoid the lemons.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please let me know what you think! :)

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><p>I woke up a few hours later, curled up against Mikhail as he lay on his back, his arm still around me. I blushed as I recalled the events of a few hours ago, then blanched as I recalled the events that had precipitated them. I groaned inwardly and nestled against him, not wanting to think about it anymore. He stirred and opened his eyes, looking baffled for a moment. Then his arm tightened around my shoulders, and he turned to look at me, a tender, contented look in his eyes.<p>

"Hi there," he said with a smile as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. "Come here often?" I giggled at the cheesiness of his line, and even he grinned, a little sheepishly. Just then my stomach growled loudly. "Hungry?" he asked, with a faintly amused look.

I nodded, blushing a little. "I seem to be hungry a lot more often than before. I used to be able to skip meals often without it bothering me, but now…."

"Well, of course you need to eat—you're growing a little person in there, and he needs to eat, too."

"She," I automatically corrected him. He raised an eyebrow, so I explained. "I don't know why, but I just have a strong feeling the baby's a girl. It doesn't make sense, I know, but there it is. Whenever I think of her or talk about her, she's always a 'she'. And right now, I think she's telling me that she really, _really_ wants a slice of apple pie with cheese."

Mikhail laughed, then gently rubbed my belly, saying, "Do you have such a thing to feed her?"

I nodded. "I baked one last night—couldn't you smell the spices? Anyway, I think I'll make some vegetable soup for dinner, and then have some pie afterwards. Does that sound okay to you?"

"Whatever you like is fine. You're the one eating for two, not me," he said as he sat up and stretched, smiling at me. "You know, I can feel a bump now, although it doesn't show when you're dressed. It's pretty incredible to think that there's a small life growing right there, isn't it?"

I scooted out of bed and pulled my pajamas back on. "Yeah… it is. I just… I just wish things weren't such a mess with her father. That's all." I sighed and headed out to the kitchen, Mikhail following as soon as he'd dressed. I got the soup started, then pinched off some dough from a batch of sourdough I had on a slow rise in the fridge and shaped it into rolls. While the soup simmered and the rolls baked, I sliced a little cheese. Looking at Mikhail where he leaned against the counter, watching me work, I said, "Dr. Ayame warned me not to drink very much alcohol—the less, the better. But if you'd like some wine, I'd be happy to open a bottle for you?"

He shook his head, "No, thank you. I'll just have whatever you're having."

"That would be water—the good doctor tells me I need to drink a lot more water. I've never been very good about that. Usually I drink tea, but now I'm supposed to limit _that_, too."

"Do you have very many restrictions now?" he asked me, curiously.

"Not as many as I'd feared. I have to avoid or cut back on alcohol, caffeine, and medicines, no raw fish, meat, or eggs, and she wants me to avoid anything too strenuous, like lifting sacks of feed. But I just saw her a few days ago, and she said I was in perfect health, and as long as I eat a balanced diet, to go ahead and eat anything that appeals to me—within those restrictions, of course."

After our meal, I returned to the kitchen to wash up. Mikhail offered to wash up, since I'd cooked the meal, so I dried the dishes and put them away. When we were done, he turned to me, and asked, "So do you have any _other_ restrictions?"

I thought for a moment. "She did say I should avoid soaking in hot water, like long baths. Otherwise…."

"What about…" he said, then hesitated.

I looked up at him. "What about what?"

He reached down and stroked my cheek, then leaned down and kissed me, pulling me close to him. The light dawned, then, as he slid his hands down my back to the waist of my pajamas. He loosened the drawstring and slipped them down off of me as he kissed my neck, breathing hard. He lifted me up and seated me on the edge of the counter, then pulled my camisole over my head. He hungrily kissed and nibbled my shoulders and breasts, teasing the nipples with his tongue, until I pushed him back and started to undo his buttons. I grew impatient after the first few, though, and tugged his shirt over his head. Caressing his chest and his stomach, I worked my way down to his button and zipper, then undid them and slid his trousers and boxers down until they fell to the floor.

He pressed up against me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, eager to feel his body joined to mine. I scraped his back with my nails as he guided himself into me, crying out as I felt him thrust deep within. He grabbed me by my hips and continued thrusting, firmly and rapidly, every bit as eager as I was. All too soon I felt swept up in a whirlwind of pleasure, crying out and gasping as I rode out my climax. As I reached the peak, he joined me, pulling me hard up against him and groaning as he emptied himself into me.

Afterwards, as we leaned against each other, shaky and breathless from our brief but intense liaison, I murmured, "She didn't _mention_ any such restrictions." He chuckled, still gasping, and rested his forehead against mine for a moment before kissing me.

"Good," he replied, grinning as he kissed me again. He lifted me down from the counter, and we gathered up our discarded clothing and climbed into bed, naked and exhausted, falling asleep within a few minutes.

I awoke early the next morning, and slipped out of bed without waking Mikhail. The forecast yesterday had said blizzard conditions may be moving into the area some time today, so I thought I'd better tend to my animals as soon as possible, before the storm hit.

He woke briefly while I was dressing, but I kissed him and explained I was just going out to tend to my animals and would be back shortly. He kissed me back drowsily, then rolled over and fell back asleep almost instantly. I turned the kettle on low, intending to make something hot to drink when I returned. Then I pulled on my boots and barn coat and headed outside.

It was bitterly cold, and although no snow was falling at that moment, the sky was dark with foreboding clouds. I hurried to the barn first, putting out generous portions of fodder and milking the cows before heading over to the chicken coop. I likewise scattered plenty of grain for my hens and gathered eggs, then I returned to the house. The breeze was freshening, and I thought to myself that a blizzard was definitely possible, or at least a snowstorm—probably sometime that afternoon, though one could never be sure.

I made two cups of tea, then I undressed again and climbed into bed, sitting next to Mikhail. He woke up this time, and sat up next to me. I handed him one of the cups, and we sat and sipped the hot tea as I snuggled up to him to warm up again. He put an arm around me and kissed the top of my head, then feeling how chilled I was, he scooted closer to me and pulled the blanket up over me a little higher. He leaned across me to set his cup down, then wrapped his arms around me as I gulped my tea down while it was still hot, finishing it in just a few swallows.

That seemed to help, and my shivering soon stopped. He reached across again to pick up his tea, but when he was halfway there, I put my arms around him and drew him closer for a kiss. He stopped, his arm still outstretched, as our kiss heated up, then he reached down to me and began to caress me. After a few minutes, he slid back over and sat next to me again, then he pulled me over to him so that I sat straddling his lap. He buried his face in my breasts, kissing my soft skin as he lightly stroked his hands along my spine and backside. I arched my back into him, pressing my belly against him as he took a nipple into his mouth and began to gently nip and suck on it. After a minute, he moved to the other side, then he began to kiss all over my neck and chest and arms and face.

I grabbed the headboard and curved my back, pressing my pelvis against him as I leaned in to kiss him. I could feel his hardness beneath me, and soon he was lifting me up and sliding me down his length as I trembled and gasped. He held me by my hips, helping me to slide up and down as I pressed my chest and belly against him, still gripping the headboard. We started slowly, enjoying the full-body contact, but soon I grew impatient as the urgency grew in the pit of my stomach and I picked up speed of my own accord.

He made a perfunctory attempt to get me to slow down a little, but quickly gave up when I persisted. As he got closer and closer to his peak, he gripped me even more tightly, digging his strong fingertips into my hips as I bucked against him. Soon he matched my rhythm, thrusting up to meet me until he cried out, slamming up into me as he pulled me down hard against him. The feeling of him climaxing deep inside me drove me to the edge and over, and I moaned and cried out as I ground against him, quaking in the throes of another powerful orgasm.

I slumped down against him as we caught our breath, sliding my hands down behind him in a light embrace. Although we were slick with sweat, neither of us felt chilled by the cool air in the house as we sat entwined in each others' embrace. Soon we began to doze again, me with my head leaning against his shoulder, and he with his arms around me.

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><p><strong>(Here endeth the fruit of the <em>citrus<em> x _limon _tree)**

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><p>Then the front door opened, and Cam was standing there, glaring at us. "What the hell is all <em>this<em>?" he snarled.

I jumped and turned to stare at him, speechless. Mikhail tightened his arms around me, replying drily, "I would have thought that you'd know the answer to _that_ by now."

"So I _was_ right! You _have_ been sleeping with him! I _knew_ it!" he snapped, glaring at me as he ignored Mikhail.

I climbed off of Mikhail and glared back at Cam. Stalking past him to my wardrobe, I pulled out clothes and began to dress. "_You're_ a fine one to talk, aren't you? I _never_ slept with Mikhail before last night, and even then I probably wouldn't have if… if you…." I slammed the wardrobe door shut and turned to face him.

"If I _what_?" he said, scowling.

"How stupid do you think I am? Did you _really_ think I wouldn't hear? That you could keep it a secret?"

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"I'm talking about that… that _girl_ you slept with Sunday night!" Cam blanched, and I tore into him, seeing confirmation in his ashen face. "You accuse _me_ of being unfaithful—you, who not _only_ had numerous women before me _and_ tried to keep it from me, but who _also_ had someone else for a grand old romp in the sack all while accusing _me_ of cheating. Oh, yes, I heard _all_ about it—how loud she was, how late you two were at it, how _energetic_ you were. You took my virginity from me and threw it back in my face—you reviled me and believed all sorts of fantastic lies that you told yourself. _Now_ I wonder _why_ you were so determined to believe that I was unfaithful—if it was because _you'd_ lied to _me_ and had kept up your various affairs all this time, even though you claimed you hadn't."

"I certainly did _not_! I only slept with her because _you_ were so damned determined to leave me for… _him_!" he shouted, gesturing at Mikhail, who was pulling his own clothes on as we fought, remaining silent but with anger seething in his eyes. "And by the way, she was a _much_ better lay than _you_ ever were!" he added spitefully, with a vindictive look in his eyes.

Shocked, I stared at him, tears gathering in my eyes. Then I slapped him with all my might and fled, bolting out the front door without even bothering to close it behind me. Sobbing, I quickly saddled Nubium and led her outside. I could hear shouts coming from the house, but I ignored them as I mounted her and rode off at a gallop, heading up the mountain path, heedless of the snow just starting to fall or of the increasing winds.

I rode clear over the peak and down towards the waterfall—one of my favorite spots on the entire mountain, a place I thought of as a private refuge. However, just past the mountaintop, my mare hit a slick spot on the path and lost her footing. I was thrown from the saddle, and tumbled down the hill towards the frozen river. The last thing I remember was the sound of hoofbeats and terrible, sharp pains in my head, back, and stomach. Then everything went black.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	54. Chapter 53

**AN:** Thanks for the reviews & PMs! I love to hear from readers. It makes me very happy when you enjoy what I write!

**SpaceDoobie:** Thanks, I'm flattered that you like it so well! I feel badly for poor Mikhail myself, which is honestly part of why I went with the lemon/lime for him (though not the only reason of course). It's kind of a consolation prize! But he'll get his turn yet. I plan to write another, unrelated fanfiction featuring him and Lillian. But it has to wait its turn as I have several other fanfictions already in the works.

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><p>I woke slowly, as if from a long dream. I hurt—oh, how I hurt!—all over, as if I was one solid bruise from head to toe. I cautiously opened my eyes, just a little, and found myself in a dimly lit room. I felt something strange and turned my head—there were tubes sticking into my arm, taped down with clear tape. I stared at them for a minute, then I tried to sit up, but it just hurt too much. A gentle hand pressed against my chest, pushing me back down. I looked over and into Dr. Ayame's eyes. "Doctor?" I croaked, finding that my throat hurt, too, and that my voice didn't seem to want to work quite right.<p>

"Hi, kiddo. I'm glad to see you awake. You gave us all quite a scare, you know that?" she said, with a lopsided smile.

"I… I did? What happened? Why am I here?" I closed my eyes, trying to think. The last thing I recalled was being with Mikhail after I finished my morning chores. "Where… where's Mikhail? The last thing I remember is being at my house with him." I opened my eyes again and looked over at her, waiting for some explanation.

She looked at me sharply. "You don't remember anything after that?" I shook my head, bewildered. "Cam apparently came to your house and found you two together. You don't remember that?"

I closed my eyes again and thought. I remembered waking up and tending to my chores, then shivering with cold as I sat in bed next to Mikhail, gulping hot tea… kissing… making love… falling asleep in his arms…. Then suddenly my memory returned and I quickly sat up and leaned over, throwing up all over the floor. "S-s-sorry," I whispered, as I leaned back, still queasy at the memory of that fight with Cam.

"It's okay, kiddo, you've had a rough time." She went and called for Hiro to clean up the mess, then stuck her head back in. "I'll be back in just a minute, Alice. I have a couple other patients I need to check on." Then she disappeared.

Hiro stepped in a moment later, and he cheerfully waved off my apologies as he cleaned up the floor. "No problem. You're pregnant _and_ injured. So don't worry about it! Just in case you feel sick again, here's a basin you can use. But hopefully you won't need it!" Then he left, and I was alone.

I pulled the covers down and found I was in a hospital gown. My legs and arms were darkly bruised, and covered in a number of scratches, scrapes, and gashes. I still didn't remember anything after… after Cam telling me that his one-night stand was better than me. Just remembering _that_ much made my stomach knot agonizingly. I couldn't bring myself to even _try_ to remember anything after that.

Dr. Ayame returned and saw me inspecting my injuries. "Hang on, kiddo. You were half frozen when Mikhail brought you in. You might think you feel warm enough now, but you've been through a lot and your temperature regulation may not be quite up to snuff yet. You just keep under those blankets for now. There will be plenty of time for you to admire your legs later." She tugged the blankets back over me, pushing me down yet again.

I looked up at her. "What do you mean, brought me in? What happened? I don't remember anything after… after fighting with Cam… and… the things he said."

She looked at me thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "Well, why not get it straight from the horse's mouth?" Then she opened the door, and Mikhail stepped in. He hurried over and sat in the chair next to my bed, reaching out to cup my face in his hand, relief evident in his face.

I saw that he, too, was injured—he had a swollen lip, and he moved as though his side pained him. "Mikhail? What's going on? What happened?"

"You… don't remember?" he said, looking concerned.

He glanced up at the doctor, who just shrugged. "She's been through a lot. Sometimes temporary amnesia accompanies trauma. It'll most likely return soon, though I don't know how much more there is for her _to_ remember."

He turned back to me and picked up one of my hands in his. "Do you remember I spent the night with you?" I smiled and nodded, reaching up to stroke his cheek with my free hand, wincing a little at the pain caused by the movement. "Then Cam came to your house…."

Again the nausea rose, and I quickly sat up and grabbed the basin. I hadn't much left to expel, but what little I had came up. The doctor, who had been standing in the doorway, hurried over and took the basin from my shaky hands, grabbing a towel to wipe my clammy forehead and my mouth.

"Are you okay?" Mikhail asked, rubbing my back and looking worried. "Is it morning sickness?"

I shook my head and leaned back against the pillows. "It's… every time I think of what Cam did and said… I…." I fought down another wave of nausea.

"Then I'll skip ahead to spare you. You ran off—for which I don't blame you one bit—and Cam and I got into a fight. Verbal at first, but after a time it turned physical. We'd probably have continued until one of us was unconscious or dead, if I hadn't looked up and saw your mare coming down your driveway… riderless. And I saw, too, that the blizzard was about to hit. Cam and I stopped our fighting and took off to search for you. I rode your mare, and he went to get his horse. I told him to take the tunnel to Konohana and ride up the mountain from that side, while I started from the Bluebell side. However, your horse seemed to know exactly where to go and resisted any and all efforts to turn to the side. We reached a spot on the path by a slope, just on the far side of the peak, and she stopped and wouldn't budge. So I got down and looked around, and then I spotted a glimpse of red on the snow below.

"Let me tell you, my heart about stopped—then I realized it was part of your coat that I saw, not blood as I had initially feared. I skidded down the slope to the river and found you, unconscious and covered in snow, lying so still that again my heart nearly stopped. But you were breathing, if shallowly, and although your face was white, it wasn't deathly white, nor quite yet frostbitten. I'm sure it wouldn't have taken much longer, though, especially since the blizzard was all but upon us.

I somehow got you back up that slippery hill to your horse and laid you across her back. I led her down the mountain towards Konohana, meeting Cam near the bridge by the waterfall. I have to say, as much of an asshole as he's been lately, he looked more frightened than I'd ever imagined possible when he saw you limply draped over your horse's back like that. He thought you were dead. _I_ thought he was going to faint. Anyway, he helped me to get you here to the clinic just as the blizzard hit full force. The good doctor insisted we stay on, too, as we were both suffering various injuries from our fight earlier as well as being thoroughly chilled—though nowhere near as badly as you were. Hiro took the horses to stay at Kana's in the meantime, and he's been caring for them ever since. And now you're awake, thank goodness."

I sat processing all that. Then something he'd said suddenly struck me as odd. "Wait, what do you mean, Kana's been caring for the horses ever since? It's only been a few hours at most… hasn't it?"

Mikhail and Dr. Ayame looked at each other, then she stepped forward and knelt down next to my bed. "No, kiddo. You've been out for nearly three days now."

I just stared at them, looking from one to the other in shock. "N-no, that _can't_ be right. I… I…."

"It is, I'm afraid. And there's more. Mikhail, will you leave us for a few minutes, please? You may wait outside—I'll let you know when you can see her again."

He nodded and turned to give me a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Take care, dearest Alice. Rest and get better. I'll see you again soon." Then he left, closing the door tightly behind him.

The doctor turned to me and held my hand in hers as she looked at me. "Alice, there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just tell you. I'm afraid you're bleeding."

I looked at her, uncomprehending. "Bleeding?" I said, numbly.

"Yes. Not _very_ heavily so far, but enough to cause concern. So you need to stay here on bed rest for at _least_ a week, quite likely longer. Possibly even for a long time. But… despite our care, there's still a chance that you may lose this baby."

"Lose… lose my baby?" Everything felt so unreal, I just couldn't comprehend it. "Am I… this is just a bad dream, isn't it? This isn't really happening, right?" I clutched her hand—the only thing that felt real to me at that moment.

She squeezed my hand, and I was surprised to see a faint glimmer of tears in the corners of her eyes. "I wish it was, Alice. Truly I do. But it's not a dream. You had a very bad fall—it's a wonder you didn't break any bones. I'm assuming it was all the snow everywhere, cushioning you somewhat. But you _did_ get pretty badly banged up, and you lay in the snow for who knows how long. You had a massive bruise on your stomach and side, and it's possible that your fall hurt the baby, too. The bleeding could be due to any of a number of things. For example, there could be a small tear in the placenta, which with rest and care may heal and allow you to have a normal pregnancy. It could also be a sign of an impending miscarriage—and there wouldn't be anything we could do at this point to prevent that. We'll just have to have you rest up and take it easy, and keep a close eye on you. And that means you'll need to stay here for a while."

She stood up and gave me a half smile as she crossed to the other side to examine the IV bags and tubes. "Ash and Cheryl have already volunteered to tend to your farm in Bluebell while you recover, and Nori and Dirk offered to see to your farm here. So you don't need to worry about that, anyway. Small comfort, I know."

As she spoke, there was a sudden commotion in the hall, and then I heard Cam's voice shouting, "Let go of me! Let me see my wife!" Then the door to my room banged open, and Cam burst in, both Hiro and Mikhail trying to drag him back. Despite his injuries—his arm was splinted and in a sling, one eye and much of his face was bruised and swollen, and a wide swath of bandages spanned his torso above the boxers he wore—he still outmatched the two of them together. He stopped and stood still, staring, when he saw me lying there, startled by the intrusion. We just gaped at each other for a moment, everyone too stunned to speak, then he shook the two men off and dropped down next to my bed. He reached for me with his undamaged hand, but I shrank away, fearful and uncertain.

"You… you're alive. You're okay," he mumbled, and I could have sworn I saw a tear slide down his cheek. "Alice, I'm… I'm so very sorry for… for _everything_. I've been such an ass. When I saw you… when I thought you were…." He closed his eyes for a moment and shuddered, then looked again at me. "That was when I realized nothing else mattered. Just you—you and the baby."

I was still trying to take in everything that I'd been told, though, and I wasn't in a forgiving mood. Tears filled my eyes and blurred my vision, so I closed my eyes and turned away. "It… it hardly matters now, does it? It's too little, too late, now that I may be losing her. So you don't need to bother yourself over us, since it looks like your _problem_ may be going away soon, anyway."

"Wait, what? You _what_? What do you mean, _losing_ her?" he said, with rising panic in his voice.

I looked back at him, and I did not look upon him kindly. "I was badly injured in my fall, Cam, and now I'm bleeding. I'm on bed rest for now, but even so, it might not be enough to save her."

"Bleeding? You mean… you mean we really might lose our baby? Sh-she might _die_?" he said, horrified, as he staggered painfully to his feet.

That did it for me. I struggled to sit up, despite Dr. Ayame's restraining hands, glaring at him. "What do you mean, 'our' baby? She's _mine_—_my_ baby. You _rejected_ her, remember? Rejected _both_ of us! You've no right to her _or_ to me anymore!"

The doctor stepped around and gently pushed Cam back towards the door. "All right, Cam. That's enough. You're upsetting her, and I won't have it—she's in no condition to be getting worked up like this. Right now you're only making things worse, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You need to get back to your own room, anyway—you shouldn't even be out of bed."

"Wait!" he said, then looked back at me with desperate eyes. "Alice, do you _really_ want to divorce me? Truly? Is that… is that what you _want_?"

I closed my eyes and looked away, swallowing hard as I silently nodded. There was a long pause, then with defeat in his voice, he replied, "Then if that's what you want, I… I won't try to stop you anymore. Just… make those appointments whenever suits you, and I'll come to them. I'm… I'm so sorry, Alice." And then he left.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	55. Chapter 54

**AN:** The timing with the pregnancy gets a little weird, especially if you aren't familiar with Harvest Moon time. Basically, a year in ToTT consists of four seasons, and each season is one month of 31 days. Therefore, a pregnancy that would be roughly 9 months in RL (3/4 of a year) would be about 3 months in the game. So although it's only been about a month since she learned of her pregnancy, Alice is already well into her 2nd trimester. Lucky girl! :)

* * *

><p>All in all, I was in the clinic for a little more than three weeks, including the time that I was unconscious. My bleeding got worse, and when I started cramping, I was terrified that all was lost. But thank goodness, the cramping stopped and gradually the bleeding slowed and finally ceased all together. It was easily the most terrifying ordeal I'd ever been through—far more frightening even than my experiences with Henry or Luke or Ash or even Ruby's death. When Dr. Ayame told me that the latest images showed that the tear was healed and that the baby— indeed a girl, as I'd somehow known all along—was in fine health, I wept for sheer joy and relief.<p>

Because my stay ended up being so lengthy, my brother, Rob, again came to help out. He opted to stay in Bluebell to be near my livestock, but he spent most of his spare time in Konohana, hanging out with Kana. They were fast friends well before I was discharged.

When Rob learned about what had been going on with Cam, he was positively livid. I heard afterwards that he, too, had punched him for treating his beloved big sister so badly. In fact, Cam had a really bad few days. In addition to his fight with Mikhail—which resulted in a broken arm, cracked ribs, and numerous bruises and lacerations—and the beating Rob gave him, it seemed that Ash and Kana had also taken it upon themselves to drive home to him that he was being a grade A donkey's posterior. It also appeared that the fight with Mikhail was the only altercation in which he fought back; he seemed to just accept the remaining blows as his just desserts.

Because of these fights, Cam spent nearly as much time in the clinic as I did. He didn't force his way into my room again after that first time, though he did ask to see me a few times—requests that I denied. I just didn't feel able to deal with him on top of everything else right then. However, I did allow Dr. Ayame to tell him that the baby was going to be okay before he finally left the clinic for the last time, a few days before I was cleared to go home.

On the other hand, Mikhail came to visit often—nearly every day. He kept me up to date on village news; it was from him that I learned of Cam's fights. He also filled me in on a little more detail about what had happened after I left and before I awoke. I learned that while he'd beaten Cam pretty soundly, that Cam had also gotten in a few hits—he, too, had a cracked rib, his lip was split, and he had bruises on his stomach and shoulder. In addition he described how Cam, thrown into a sudden panic after Nubium returned without me, had ridden out in the snow, despite his broken ribs and arm. I admit I was impressed—even an experienced horseman would not have found it easy to ride under those conditions, let alone with a blizzard on the way. I was also curious why Mikhail told me all that—it almost felt as though he was intentionally putting in a good word for him, which struck me as odd.

I made our first counseling appointment with Dr. Ayame for three days after I left the clinic. I also scheduled a follow-up appointment for just before, in order to kill two birds with one stone. Rob came to walk me back to my house and helped me get settled in. While I was away, I'd asked Rob to arrange for Eileen to expand my house. With a baby on the way, I knew I'd want more room. She'd finished the work just two days ago, and he showed me around my new additions. Before, I'd had just one large, open space, with the small bathroom the only discrete room. Now I had a larger bathroom and a separate living room with a cozy fireplace, plus two bedrooms. With help from Kana, Rob had moved my bedroom furniture into one of the bedrooms, and my sofa and table into the living room. I thought to myself that I'd need to get new furniture soon—before the baby was born, anyway.

In the meantime, Rob had borrowed a folding cot and was camped out in the second bedroom, so he would be nearby in case I needed help. He'd agreed to stay for another day or two, and if the farm work proved too much for me, then he would either stay on until after the baby was born or until I could make other arrangements. For the time being, though, he urged me to take it easy and rest. It was already early Spring, so I made the difficult decision to let my fields lie fallow until Summer at least. That just left my orchards and my livestock to care for—a much more manageable workload.

The first thing I did was to take a long shower in my new, large bathroom. Eileen had done a wonderful job, and I felt much improved afterwards. Those sickbed sponge baths just really hadn't done it for me, and it was delightful to just stand and let the hot water flow over me, washing away the grime and the aches, and perhaps even a little of the tension. After I dressed, I decided I had better head into town to let Cam know when our first appointment would be. I still felt a little bit queasy at the thought of seeing him, but not nearly as much so as when I first woke up after my accident.

I walked into town, stopping to visit the townsfolk along the way. Everyone was delighted to see me up and about, and it took longer than I expected before at last I was approaching Cam's stall. He was still open at that hour, though it wasn't long before closing.

He had a customer—some tiny bleached blonde that seemed to be having a hard time making a decision—so I sat at a table in Howard's outdoor dining area and waited. As she dithered, Cam seemed to get annoyed and then angry with her, and she left in a huff without making a purchase. I shrugged to myself and walked over. He seemed surprised—even a little uncomfortable—when he saw me. Apparently he'd been too absorbed to notice me waiting. I handed him the slip of paper with a time and date printed on it. "Here. This is when the first of our four required counseling sessions will be. I know you're out of town all day tomorrow, and there's a festival the next day, so I scheduled it for Wednesday. We can make the next appointment afterwards."

I turned away and started to head back to my house. "Wait…." he said, grabbing my arm. I stopped and turned to look at him, then stared at his hand until he removed it. "I… just wanted to ask how you're feeling. You know, if… if you're all recovered from your fall now?"

I shrugged. "I'm still pretty tired. It's hard to say right now how much is from the accident and how much is from the baby," I said, rubbing my hands over my swelling belly. "My brother's going to hang around for a couple more days to be sure I'm okay before he returns home, so I think I'll be fine. You know I always manage somehow." I started to turn, and again he reached out a hand to me, only touching my arm lightly this time instead of grasping it.

"Alice, I… I _really_ wanted to say… I wanted to say that I'm really glad that she's okay. The baby, I mean. I… I was really worried about her. Thanks for letting me know."

I stared at him for a moment, then looked away and nodded. I turned and slowly made my way back home, where Rob was waiting impatiently for me to return.

My appointment with Dr. Ayame was just after lunch, and she gave me a careful once-over. "No more bleeding?" she asked as she checked my vital signs. I shook my head, and she patted my shoulder and smiled. "Good. Be sure to let me know right away if you start again, or if anything seems wrong or just 'off' to you, okay, kiddo?"

I laughed as I said, "Never fear! Cam might have rejected her, but I want her enough for both of us."

"Hmm," she murmured, "Yes, well, I believe I hear Cam out front now, so why don't you go on into my office, and I'll bring him along. Then we can get this session started." I slid awkwardly off the exam table and reached for my jacket. "And Alice…" she added as I started out the door, "do try to keep an open mind. That's what these counseling sessions are all about, after all. To try to find the underlying causes of the problems in your marriage. Ideally, to mend the rift between you, as well, but even if that doesn't happen, you both will still benefit from discovering what went wrong and why."

"I _know_ what went wrong," I said, bitterly. "My husband didn't trust me, and now I don't trust him."

"That's just the kind of attitude I want you to try to put aside, kiddo. Think of that as the symptom of the disease, not the disease itself. Okay?"

I paused for a moment, considering her words. I hadn't really looked at it like that before. I slowly nodded. "Yes, all right. I'll try. I just can't see us 'mending the rift', as you put it, but I _would_ really like to know why he did what he did—why things went so bad so quickly."

"Then let's get going. I'll bring Cam along in just a minute."

I went into her office and sat in one of the two chairs that faced her desk. I felt nervous—very nervous, in fact. My heart was racing and I felt fidgety and anxious as I sat waiting, trying to school my features into a neutral expression. Several minutes later, the door opened and Cam walked in, followed by Dr. Ayame. As he sat in the other chair and nodded to me, I noticed that he looked as nervous as I felt, and somehow that made me feel just a little bit better.

Dr. Ayame sat down at her desk, and propping her elbows on the desktop, she looked back and forth between the two of us. "Well. Shall we get started? First, I'd like to remind you both that you are required to attend a minimum of four hour-long sessions of counseling from the same counselor prior to filing for divorce. You may, of course, attend more than that—as many as you believe will help you. But not _less_ than four hours.

"The purpose of these sessions is to help you identify the problems in your marriage that are leading you to consider divorce, and to help you to determine and understand the underlying problems. Of course, there is only so much you can do in four hours. For some, that's enough; for others, years of counseling would barely even scratch the surface. Hopefully you two are in the former category. If not, I urge you to continue after you've met the requirement, for your own sakes.

"Now, it seems to me that on the face of it, everything started with the discovery that you two were expecting a baby. Isn't that right? I remember Cam's reaction was… a bit extreme, and Alice's response was also, perhaps, a bit extreme."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she raised her hand to silence me. "Just hold onto that thought, Alice. I'd like to start off with Cam, since his words were the match that lit the fuse. Tell us, please, why you said those things to your wife—what you were thinking at the time."

Cam looked down at the floor. "I… I _wasn't_ thinking. I just… panicked, I guess. I don't know why I said those things. At the time, I even kind of half believed them. But now…. Now, even if they _were_ true, I don't care anymore. I mean… it seems unimportant to me now, when compared to… to other things."

"Such as?" the doctor said.

"Such as… when she nearly died. Such as when she almost lost the baby. That all really put things into perspective."

"And do you still believe what you said? That she'd deceived you, that you were even doubtful of the baby's parentage? And why would you say that to her—why was that your knee-jerk reaction to the news? Had she given you cause to doubt her?"

Cam slowly shook his head. "I… I don't know. I mean, she'd never given me any reason to doubt her before that I know of… but I've never heard of a virgin who didn't bleed & hurt the first time, or of a woman getting sick that fast when pregnant, or for that matter, getting pregnant so quickly."

She leaned back and looked at him with some exasperation. "Cam, you do realize that your experience isn't really broad enough for you to be reaching such cut and dried conclusions, don't you? No, I see you don't." She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Okay, first of all, you need to realize that every woman is different. Many women don't bleed when they lose their virginity, and not all of them feel pain, either. In fact, if the man is doing his part correctly, he should be able to greatly minimize, if not outright eliminate, the pain the woman might feel her first time. And bleeding is not nearly as common as is popularly regarded. There are any of a number of reasons a woman might not bleed—the size and shape of her hymen, or for that matter, whether or not it's still intact. Alice has been riding horses most of her life; sometimes the hymen can break during physical activity such as riding as well as for other legitimate, non-sexual reasons.

"In addition, pain and even bleeding can be faked, if a woman is sufficiently motivated to play the part of a virgin. How tight she felt that first time is a better indicator. If she _felt_ like a virgin to you, there's a very good chance she was; if she'd had intercourse with Mikhail anytime within the previous few weeks, she would have still been stretched out from her recent sexual activity. So which was it?"

Cam looked surprised. "I… I guess I hadn't thought of it like that. When you put it that way, then yeah. I guess she probably was. But…."

"No, no buts. Sooner or later, you need to decide which you trust more: your limited experience, or Alice. Now, if you decide that you do believe she was telling you the truth, then that also settles the question of whose baby she's carrying. If not, then, quite honestly, most likely only a paternity test will be able to clear that up to your satisfaction. I _can_ tell you, though, that while not extremely common, it's certainly possible for a woman to get pregnant _any time_ after she becomes sexually active—even her very first time. All it takes is semen and an ova—biology isn't going to cut you any slack your first time or _any_ time that conditions are right.

"In addition, every pregnancy is different, even for the same woman. Some women get morning sickness starting almost immediately, while others never get it at all. If she _did_ get pregnant on or shortly after your wedding night, then the day I saw her and determined she was pregnant was within the possible timeframe for developing morning sickness. Earlier than average perhaps, but still quite possible.

"I think that what's important here is your reaction, Cam. I like to think that in similar circumstances, most men would just be surprised. They wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion that their wives were liars and cheats… unless they had a _reason_ to think so. So what's yours?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and glanced at me, then quickly looked away again. "Well… I guess it goes back to when I first asked her to marry me. I thought… I thought she had made up her mind, so I was dumbstruck when she said no, she hadn't. And then when she said she was going to go visit Mikhail for a week—to make sure, she said—I really didn't know _what_ to think. I… I felt like it was Nadia and Armand all over again."

"Who?" Dr. Ayame asked.

Cam related the story of his first real love to her much as he'd told it to me—about how they'd met when her well-to-do family arrived to spend a summer in Bluebell, fallen in love, even become engaged, just for her to throw him over for a wealthy man, even telling him that she'd never been serious about him and only considered him to be a summer diversion. The doctor nodded and he continued. "Anyway, so I felt a lot like that while she was gone. I half expected… no, _more_ than half—almost entirely expected that she'd come back engaged to _him_. And when she admitted that they'd fooled around… and that once she'd even tried to persuade him to sleep with her…. I guess that just kept preying on me, in the back of my mind."

"And why would you doubt her word? Had she been less than honest before?"

"No! No, not at all, at least as far as I know. But I knew what Mikhail could be like—we'd had a number of run-ins over the past year. I didn't think I'd find it easy to refrain from taking her up on her offer, and I felt sure that Mikhail had much less self-control than me, so…."

"That doesn't really get to the root of the problem, Cam. Presumably if things had gone farther, she'd have told you—even if it was hard for her to do so—because she was being honest with you. Don't you agree? So why do you think she _wouldn't_ have been honest? Is it because you doubted her veracity all along? Or was there some _other_ reason?"

Cam looked taken aback as he sat and thought. "I… I guess I don't know. I mean, no—I had no reason to doubt her before…."

"Then think about it. If you had no real reason to believe she was lying based on your past experiences with her, then why would you think so?"

There was a long pause, then Cam slowly said, "I… I suppose because all that while, I'd been thinking that the situation was like that time with Nadia, and expecting her to pick Mikhail over me. So… so I guess… maybe my mind skewed things to fit that idea?"

Dr. Ayame nodded. "_Now_ we're getting somewhere. So you were essentially reliving your experience with Nadia and Armand, but putting Alice and Mikhail in their places. Do you see the problem with that, Cam?"

He nodded, turning red as he looked back to the floor. "Yeah, now that you've pointed it out to me. Alice _isn't_ Nadia, and, well, although I didn't know Armand particularly, he still isn't Mikhail."

I looked at him, hurt by his revelation. "Cam, when you told me about Nadia, you said at that time that I was fundamentally different from her. Those were your exact words, I think—'fundamentally different'. So why… why would you still lump me in with women like her, even after getting to know me as well as you did?"

He buried his face in his hands and remained silent for a long while. When at last he raised his head, there were tears in his eyes. "Because… because even if you aren't her, _I'm still me_—and I kept feeling like Mikhail was superior to me in every way, even down to having a prior claim to your affection. And so… I'd spent most of the year waiting… not so much waiting for you to make up your mind, as waiting for the other shoe to drop."

I sat back and looked at him, astonished. Cam had always seemed so calm, so quietly confident, so… secure. It never _once_ crossed my mind that somewhere inside, he might be torn up by doubts and fears.

Dr. Ayame glanced at her clock and stood up. "Well, kids, I think this was a good start. Your time's up, so let's get another appointment scheduled, okay? Follow me."

I gaped at her—had it really been an hour? A furtive look at my wristwatch showed that it had indeed, and in fact, slightly over. Cam stood and held out his hand to help me up, and we followed her out to the front desk. "I'm free any day this week," I said as Hiro opened her appointment book.

Dr. Ayame looked over Hiro's shoulder at her calendar. "Well, kiddo, one of my requirements is that you have at least five days between sessions. Give you both time to think over what you said and thought and to prepare for the next appointment. So next Monday would be earliest you could schedule, except that we're closed that day for a festival."

"It looks like the following Thursday would be the next available day, since there's a whole bunch of festivals in a row. Does that work for you? Same time of day?" I said, turning to Cam.

He silently nodded, and Hiro looked at the times for that day. "She has an appointment already at 1:00 that afternoon and another at 2:00… in fact, it looks like the only time she has an hour-long slot available is right at the end of the day, at 5:00. Will that do?" We agreed, and he wrote us in for that time and date. It meant waiting over a week, but at least we'd have time for some reflection.

Cam held the door for me as we left the clinic in silence, and to my surprise, Mikhail was waiting outside for me. He and Cam scowled at each other, but Cam quickly looked away. "Well, if you'll excuse me…." He said, starting to walk quickly away.

"Hold on, Cam. I suppose this concerns you, more or less." He turned and looked at me, reaching out and brushing a gentle fingertip along my cheekbone. I could nearly feel Cam seethe next to me, but I just ignored him. "Well, my dear Alice, I need to let you know that I won't be around for much of the next few weeks." I must have looked as distressed as I felt, because he continued quickly. "You know I usually spend my summers in Port Crescent. But this summer I and several of my musical friends have been offered the chance to perform overseas. So I'm afraid I must spend a certain amount of time making my preparations, as well as in rehearsals. I'll be leaving the first day of summer."

"Will… will you be returning in the fall?" I said, fighting back tears.

"Yes, I will return early in the fall season, though I don't yet know which day. So," he said, straightening up and looking straight at Cam. "I'd hoped to be here to help Alice when her child is born, as well as to support her in the meantime. As I cannot, I hope that you, the father of her child, will step up and lend her a hand—_if_ she is willing to accept your help, that is."

Cam looked steadily at him, and replied in a quiet voice, "I've burned many bridges in my life. So far, the only one I regret and will rebuild if given the opportunity is the bridge that joined me to Alice. I may not have been good for much so far, but if she will allow me, I'll gladly give her as much help and support as I'm able."

Mikhail stared appraisingly at him for several long moments, then nodded curtly. "Then, as I'm leaving tonight for a few days, I bid you adieu for a little while." He leaned over and kissed me, then turned back towards the town hall as I watched him go, tears blurring my vision, already feeling a keen ache at his departure. Cam gently laid a hand on my shoulder, as though to comfort me, and this time I didn't pull away from his touch.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	56. Chapter 55

**AN:** As I said in the previous chapter, the timing with the pregnancy gets a little weird, especially if you aren't familiar with how time flows in this game. Basically, a year in ToTT consists of four seasons, and each season is one month of 31 days. Therefore, a standard 40-week pregnancy would be just over 3 months in the game.

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><p>Mikhail was away for most of a week, and that was the pattern for the next few weeks—gone for several days, then back for a day or two. I understood he had rehearsals and other preparations keeping him busy, but it was still hard to have a major component of my support network taken away at such a critical time. And even when he was in town, he stayed at the town hall instead of with me as I'd hoped. He said that he felt it was better that way while I was in counseling with Cam—he didn't want to interfere. So I really didn't see nearly as much of him as I'd have liked.<p>

On the other hand, I no longer felt physically ill from stress when I was around Cam. I even allowed him to come over and visit a little. He tried to get me to let him help out, but even if I'd been so inclined, he really wasn't up to the work. Even in my current condition, I was still far stronger than him. But I did let him check on me to be sure I was okay, for his peace of mind and because I knew it didn't hurt to have someone look in on me—just in case. My brother had returned home the fourth day after I was released from the clinic, so I was now on my own. I gathered that he'd stopped by to give Cam a parting warning on his way out of town, but I wasn't sure that was even necessary by then.

Our second session was a week and a day after the first. Again I needed to see the doctor, this time just a standard prenatal appointment. I hadn't been able to schedule it for before our session, though, as she was unusually booked up right around that time. So she agreed to stay a little late and check me out afterwards.

I arrived at the clinic a little after Cam. I was nearing the end of the second trimester, and things that I once took for granted were no longer so easy for me to do. Putting my shoes on, for instance. I apologized and explained my difficulties. Dr. Ayame just grinned in amusement as she settled in her chair, but Cam looked both surprised and concerned. "I had no idea that things like that would be so hard for you," he said after a moment's thought. "Pregnancy must be pretty difficult, especially when you don't have someone there to help out."

"Kiddo, you've just said a mouthful," Dr. Ayame replied as he just looked at me with a worried expression. I nodded my agreement with a wry smile.

"All right," Dr. Ayame said, "let's get started, shall we? Last week, Cam realized that a lot of his reaction was based in a fear that he didn't deserve you—that Mikhail was a better choice for you—and that you'd eventually realize that and leave him. Right?" Cam looked down at the floor and nodded. "So this week…" she started to say, but I cut in.

"Wait. If you don't mind, I have a question I would really like answered." She nodded, and I turned to look at Cam. "Why did you sleep with her? I honestly thought you seemed like you wanted to get back together up until then. So _why_? And then why did you go and rub salt in the wound and tell me that she was better than me in bed?"

Dr. Ayame raised her eyebrows in surprise—apparently this was news to her. Cam turned scarlet and looked away, unable to look me in the eyes. In a low voice, he said, "I… I didn't mean that. I was just so angry, and… jealous. I said things I shouldn't have said, and that weren't even true, just to… I guess just to hurt you like I was hurting. It was stupid and childish and really hateful of me. I'm… I'm sorry."

"That still doesn't explain why you slept with her in the first place," I said, icily.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I… I don't have a good excuse. But I'll tell you the reason, even though I _know_ that it's no excuse for my behavior. You see, you were right—I really did want you back. I was mad at myself for how I responded when we heard you were pregnant, and I was mad at you for being mad at me and running away. I know, I _know_—I don't blame you for that, really. But rational or not, I was still _mad_ about it. And then when you came and said you wanted a divorce, well… it just played into my fears. You know, that you would regret your decision and leave me for… for _him_. But… mad and hurt as I was, I still didn't want to let you go. I… wanted you back. But I didn't know what to do—I felt like I'd crossed some lines that I couldn't just uncross, and I didn't know how to fix what I'd broken.

"Anyway, so I started playing that stupid game, putting off making these appointments with you, in the hopes that you'd eventually give up, and then maybe I could change your mind about me. It was a dumb idea, I know that. But it was all I could think of at the time. I… I really wasn't thinking very clearly.

"But then when you came to me and said that if I didn't start counseling with you, that you'd go somewhere else for a divorce—somewhere that you didn't need to go through counseling or even for me to agree to the divorce—something just kind of snapped. I felt like it was hopeless, then—you sounded so determined to be rid of me, no matter what you had to go through to do so. So…."

He paused for a long moment, while Dr. Ayame and I waited in silence for him to continue. He put his head in his hands and sighed a long, shaky sigh. "Okay, so first I want to say, that no matter what either of you say, I've probably already thought it. And no matter how stupid or weak it sounds to you, believe me, I already know that—I've been beating myself up over it for the past few weeks. Not that I'm asking you to take it easy on me, just letting you know… no matter how low your opinion of me might be, I'll bet that my own is lower still.

"So after that… conversation, I was, well, devastated. I was sure it was over, like I said—that nothing I could do would get you back at that point. So I closed up shop early, went to the nearest town—besides our two towns, that is, the nearest town where I was a stranger—and proceeded to get totally plastered. I don't think I've ever been so drunk in my life. To be honest, I don't really remember picking that girl up, or returning to Bluebell with her. I… I kind of came back to my senses in the middle… in the middle of having sex with her. And I was still drunk enough at the time that everything was kind of hazy, so I thought… I thought she was _you_.

"It wasn't until I woke up early the next morning, and found a strange girl in my bed instead of you, that I realized what I'd done. I… I was sick—I mean, _literally_ sick—and then I threw on my clothes and dragged her out of there and sent her back to town on the early train. Normally I would have gone to visit my parents' graves that day, being a Monday, but… but I just couldn't. I couldn't even face myself, let alone anyone else. So I spent the day just wandering in the woods, avoiding anyone that came along. And I decided that I _had_ to tell you what I'd done, and to try to apologize for my actions, and to see if, despite all I'd done, _somehow_ maybe you could forgive me enough to try to make things work.

"The next morning, I heard there'd be a blizzard. So I decided to go see you that morning rather than after work, since by then I probably wouldn't even be able to go anywhere. I waited until I was sure you'd be up, then I hurried over to talk to you. And then… then when I opened the door, I saw you in bed with Mikhail, and it… it was pretty obvious what you'd been doing. And… I completely lost it."

I just sat and stared at him. I didn't know what to say to all that. It was all just so childish, and petty, and … and so _stupid_. But at the same time, the fact that he was _finally_—or so I hoped—being honest not only with me, but with himself, strongly appealed to me. And I felt that he probably _was_ being honest, because he hadn't really attempted to sugar-coat anything so far.

"It's true, isn't it—what you said at the time?" Cam said, interrupting my reverie. "That you really _hadn't_ slept with him until the night before, and that you probably wouldn't have even then if I hadn't already cheated on you with that… girl."

"Of course it's true. I've never once lied to you or knowingly deceived you—not once."

He nodded. "I… I believe you. I'm sorry that I doubted you before. It wasn't really _you_ that I doubted, you know—it was me. I can see that now. But I took it out on you. Not on purpose—it just kind of seemed to say itself, and to make sense in a warped sort of way. Again, I know that's no excuse…."

"No, it isn't. But I accept your apology."

"If… if I hadn't slept with her… would you still have left me for him? Or would we maybe have been able to work things out? I know, I _really_ screwed up…."

"I… I can't really say, Cam, because things didn't happen that way. I don't know about 'what-ifs' or 'might-have-beens'. Maybe I would have? But maybe not. I _do_ know that, despite everything, some part of me kept hoping that you'd just outright refuse to let me go like that—that you'd fight to win me back. Instead you just seemed to get… well, _mean_. I-I still don't know what to make of all this, you know. It's like you're an entirely different person than the one I fell in love with and chose to marry. You're like a stranger to me… and not a very nice one, I have to say. Even if you _do_ somehow still want to try to make things work out, I just don't know if it's possible anymore…. You hurt me so much, Cam, and I've lost my faith in you. I don't trust you, after all you've said and done. You really let me down."

"Then it's really over, isn't it? There's no chance you'll take me back now. Not…." He turned to look at the doctor, who was leaning her cheek against her hand, watching us as we tried to sort through our mess. "So is there really any point in further sessions, doctor? I mean, if things are beyond repair… what difference does it make?"

She sat up and leaned back, looking him straight in the eyes as she twirled a pen between her fingertips. "Well, Cam, first of all, yes—there _is_ a point. Even if your marriage is damaged beyond all salvation, one or both of you may one day find yourselves wanting to marry again. So trying to figure out what went wrong this time will give you better odds of success next time. Second—and correct me if I'm wrong here—but so far I haven't heard Alice actually say that there is no hope of reconciliation whatsoever. What I _have_ heard is that she's telling you how much harm you've done to her, and how you crushed her hopes of patching things up.

"I think so far you've both done a fair job of listening to each other. But I suggest that over the next week, you stop _just_ listening and start _hearing_. Okay? Now, our time is up. Let's get you set up for your next appointment, then Alice, I still need to examine you. We'll be listening to her heartbeat again today—something we'll do at most of your appointments from now on."

I looked over at Cam as I stood up, and he looked strangely wistful. "Cam? Is something wrong? Did you have something else you wanted to say?" I asked as he slowly rose to his feet.

He started slightly and blushed. "Oh, uhh… no, not _wrong_ exactly. It's just…."

"Yes?" I prompted, as Dr. Ayame and I stood waiting for him.

"I… I was just wishing I could hear her heartbeat, too. I know—you've already told me I've lost any right to her. I'm not arguing that. But still…."

I sighed and glanced at the doctor, who looked both amused and bemused. "I… well, I suppose there's no harm in you being there this once. Unless Dr. Ayame objects, that is?"

She shrugged, "Whatever _you_ want, kiddo—no skin off my nose either way. Well, in that case, let's get that over and done with first, okay? Then we'll get you all scheduled up afterwards."

Cam looked both elated and a little apprehensive at my concession as he followed us back to the exam room. First she weighed me, noting with a little displeasure that I wasn't gaining quite as much weight as she'd like and reminding me that I needed to feed myself, too. After that, I clambered up onto the exam table with all the grace of an obese three-legged elephant climbing a ladder. I removed my bra without taking off my shirt, then I pulled my shirt up and pulled the elastic waist of my stretchy pants down before lying back on the table. She smeared the contact gel on my abdomen and switched on the Doppler monitor, then dug into my rotund belly with the wand as she searched for the baby's location.

"She's more to the other side," I commented as she prodded. She nodded and moved the wand gradually that direction.

"How—how can you tell where she is?" Cam asked, baffled.

Just then, my side twitched powerfully. "That," I said with a smile. "She's a strong kicker." His eyes were as big as saucers as he watched intently, obviously hoping to see another kick.

Just then, the weird noises and squawks coming from the speaker resolved into a rhythmic thumping. Cam jumped a little, then without looking away from my belly, he asked, "I-is that her? The baby's heartbeat?"

"No, kiddo, that's Alice's. Hear how loud and slow it is? And see, it measures it at 74 bpm—beats per minute, that is—a good, strong heart rate. Not surprising for someone as healthy as she is." After a few more moments and some more strange sounds, another rhythmic thumping, softer and faster than before, came clearly through the speakers. "Ah! Here we go. That's the baby you're hearing now, Cam. See over here, her rate is 140 bpm… oh, and climbing. She must be getting lively now. You'll probably see a few more kicks soon."

Cam looked like a little kid on Christmas morning at that, so before I was even conscious of what I was doing, I grabbed his hand and set it on my belly, right where I could feel her moving. "Just wait a few minutes," I said as I looked at his startled face.

He nodded, and a few minutes later, she gave a tentative kick against the pressure of his hand. He jumped, and a big grin slowly spread across his face. "Wow… she really is strong. Just like her mom." He reluctantly pulled his hand away, and the doctor handed him a towel to wipe off the gel. "Thanks, Alice. That… that was amazing. Getting to hear her heartbeat and feeling her moving like that…. I-I never realized…. I wish…." Then he looked away.

"Wish what?" I asked, curious what he'd say, though I had an idea.

"Never mind, it's nothing I have any right to wish for anyway," he said, refusing to look at me.

"I'd like to know, all the same," I said.

He hesitated, then said, "All right. But… but not right now, okay? I'll… I'll tell you later. Please?"

I nodded and looked over at the doctor, who'd been watching us with some amusement. "Then if we're good for now…." She wiped the gel from my belly and proceeded to complete her exam, taking measurements and vital signs. The baby's size was where it should be, she said, and my vitals looked good, though she warned me that my blood pressure was still a little low—normal for that stage of pregnancy, she reminded me, but nevertheless something to keep in mind, or else I might find myself blacking out. She assured me that it should start to rise again before long, as I would soon enter the third trimester.

After that, she quickly examined my breasts and prodded my belly, all while asking me questions that had Cam turning scarlet, to my amusement. When she was done, I put my bra back on and adjusted my clothes. "Well, Alice, you are as usual in fine health. Your breasts seem to be filling out nicely, and I don't see any _obvious_ problems that would create difficulties with nursing so far, should you choose to do so. Your baby's size is where it should be, though I'd like to see _you_ gain a little more weight. As long as you're not starving yourself and you're eating healthfully, though, you should be fine. As Cam saw, your little one is quite active, which is great, and she has a good, steady heartbeat. Your vitals are fine, too. Now, as you will soon be entering your third trimester, you may begin to feel some little contractions now and then. Don't panic—it's normal. Just think of them as kind of an exercise regimen, to strengthen the muscles of your uterus in preparation for labor.

"As usual, if you notice any bleeding or other unusual symptoms, or if you begin to have regular, _increasing_ contractions, or if the baby has no activity for a prolonged period, contact me immediately. You're at the point now where it really would be best for you to have someone to stay with you, especially since this is your first child. If something happens, you may need help, or at _least_ someone to run and fetch me. So think it over, okay? See if anyone can come and stay with you for a few weeks, until after the baby's born and you're up and about again. Your mom, maybe? Or your brother? A friend? Well… anyway, think about it. Try to find _someone_ if possible."

We left, Cam again trailing along behind us, and walked out to the front desk, where Hiro sat waiting with his usual cheery smile. "Ready to schedule your next appointment?" he asked, pulling out the schedule book as Cam and I walked around to the front of the desk and Dr. Ayame came over to glance at her schedule.

"Let's see. The soonest you could schedule your third appointment would be next Tuesday—the 21st. How's that sound?"

"Could we… could we make it for Thursday instead? Then Cam won't have to close shop to come. And… I think I'd like a couple extra days to think about what we discussed. Is that okay?" I asked, turning to look at Cam, who looked surprised by my consideration.

He nodded, and Hiro put us down for Thursday at 1:00. "And Alice, I'll want to see you, too—I'll be seeing you more often during this last stage of your pregnancy, just to keep closer tabs on your health. So how about we schedule your exam for right afterwards again?" I nodded agreement, and Hiro penciled me in for the time slot immediately after our counseling session. "Okay, you two, I'll see you in a week. Alice, take good care of yourself, and think about what I said, all right?"

"I will," I promised, and turned to leave.

Cam followed along behind me, and we started to walk back towards Bluebell. Halfway through the tunnel, he stopped. "Alice…" he said, and I stopped and turned to look at him.

"Yeah? What is it?" I said, surprised by the apprehensive look on his face.

"Well, it's just that… the doctor seemed pretty firm that you needed someone around to help, and you seemed like you couldn't think of anyone that you wanted to have help you. So… I was thinking… I could come stay with you. I mean, I know—I know you're still hurt and angry with me. And I know I've behaved really… well, rotten towards you. I know you don't trust me anymore—though I really want to regain your trust. And I'm not suggesting that you, well, that you take me back or anything. I'll sleep wherever you want me to sleep—on the sofa or whatever. I just want to try to help. Because, you know, despite all that I said and did, I really do love you and care about you. I know—I sure haven't shown it. But it's true. Even though I really don't have any right to tell you so anymore…."

I looked at him for a minute, startled by his suggestion. Then I said, "You're right. You don't." Then I turned and started to walk away. After a few steps, though, I stopped again.

Without turning back around, I said, "But… but maybe I wouldn't mind it so much, having you stay with me for now."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	57. Chapter 56

**AN:** Again, same thing as before with the pregnancy timing weirdness due to the way time works in the game. As always, please let me know what you think! I love to hear from you!

**Space Doobie:** This would be so much better suited for a private message, but as I am unable to send guest users messages, here are the short answers to your questions. Question 1: No. Question 2: Go ask _your _Alice, I think she'll know. :)

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><p>When we reached my house, I led Cam back to the baby's room, saying, "Rob slept on a cot in here. You can sleep there for now—if you don't mind sleeping in a girl's room, that is. It's a bit pink, I know—though I've tried to tone it down."<p>

Cam shook his head. "I don't mind. I mean, it's not like I only like 'manly' flowers, right? Pink's just a color."

I gave him a rueful smile. "Honestly, I hadn't planned to decorate her room with pink at all. I kind of favored a nice sunny yellow, like sunflowers or moondrop flowers. But then Rose gave me a stack of little pink blankets she'd made, and she even persuaded Eileen to paint the walls pink, too, though I had her paint it over as soon as I saw it."

He gave a snort of laughter. "Yeah, Rose does like things… traditional. Pink for girls, blue for boys—that's her style. But of course, you don't have to do a lot of pink if you don't want to—use it as an accent color. Or not at all—just because you have some pink blankets doesn't mean that you have to make her room pink."

"I suppose so." I stepped back out of the room, Cam following, and then turned to look at him with a serious expression. "Are you _quite_ sure you're okay with this, uhh… arrangement? I mean, what about… what about when Mikhail gets back? If he comes over… will you be able to cope with that?"

He turned pale and flinched. "I… I hadn't thought about that," he admitted. Then he looked me straight in the face, and although there was pain in his eyes, he said, "I offered to stay to _help_ you, Alice. Not as some way of trying to insinuate myself back into your life or to try to keep tabs on you or even to try to keep anyone _else_ away from you. And I know that helping you now won't make up for all I've done in the past, but that… that isn't why I'm doing it anyway. I… really just want to help you as much as I can. I feel responsible for the mess we're in, and I want to at least _try_ to make things better. I don't mean that I would _like_ being here while you have Mikhail over, let alone if he… if he spends the night with you. I… may need to return to Howard's those nights. _Probably_ will need to. But I'll still do what I can to help you."

I sighed and rubbed my aching lower back a little, saying, "Well, you probably don't have anything to worry about anyway. He's gone most of the time these days, preparing for his trip. And when he _is_ in town, he's still staying in the guest room in Konohana's town hall—_not_ with me. He says he doesn't feel it would be right for him to stay here overnight while you and I are going through counseling. So I haven't seen much of him since I was released from the clinic, and we haven't done anything more than just an occasional kiss since that one night." Again I sighed.

Cam looked surprised. "Really? He said that? I… I wouldn't have expected anything like that from him."

I looked at him sharply, scowling a little. "You know, he's really behaved very decently. He even told me all about how you rode out to try to find me, despite all your injuries and the blizzard and everything. He made sure I knew just how upset you were, too, when you saw me unconscious. I swear it almost seems like he's trying to get us back together. You'd think he'd be _happy_ that we're separated…." I shrugged helplessly. Then watching him thoughtfully, I asked, "And what about _you_? You and that… girl, I mean. Are you…?"

Cam stared blankly for a moment, then flushed red and looked away. "No," he replied emphatically. "I never had any interest in anyone but you, Alice. I don't know what I… why…. But, no. Not that she hasn't _tried_—Laney told me that she came around a number of times while I was recovering in the clinic, looking for me."

"And… has she found you yet, then? I _really_ don't want some strange girl showing up on my doorstep, making a scene…."

"Yes, she did. In fact, you probably saw her. She was that girl I was arguing with before you showed up to give me the time for our first appointment."

"_That_ was her? That tiny, skinny, blonde thing?" I asked, incredulously. "She looked like she was all hair and high heels! Well, you certainly couldn't have picked anyone _much_ more different from me."

He looked miserable, saying, "I know. Maybe _that's_ why…. Anyway, I was trying to get her to understand that I have no interest in her whatsoever and that I didn't want to see her again—ever. I had to get kind of rude to convince her. She definitely isn't a bright one. But I _think_ I got through to her in the end."

An uncomfortable silence fell between us, then Cam straightened up, saying, "So… what can I do, I mean besides just being around in case there's an emergency or something? What would help you the most? Obviously I wouldn't be good at the farm work, but I'm still willing to try if it's too much for you. I'm not a very good cook, as you know, but if it'll help you, I'll do it anyway. Just… don't get mad if I kind of burn things sometimes. I _can_ clean, though, so maybe I can take that over for you?"

I thought as I led the way back to the living room and sat tiredly on the sofa, rubbing my belly absentmindedly. "Yeah, that would be a big help, actually. Cleaning is getting harder for me to do lately. I can handle most of the cooking, though I might ask you to take something out of the oven or give something a stir for me now and then. And I wouldn't expect you to help with my farm work… unless you'd like to use some of my fields yourself, that is? I'm won't be planting anything here in Bluebell for the time being, so you're welcome to plant flowers for your shop here if you like, at least through summer—maybe fall, too. If you do, though, you'll have to tend those yourself.

"Ash has already offered to help with my animals, when I reach the point where I can't do it myself, that is. Cheryl offered to help, too. And Nori said she'd tend to my fields in Konohana when that gets to be too much for me, and both Ying and Rahi promised to help her with the watering. Georgia said she'd be happy to take Nubium for a while, when I can't ride anymore—which will be soon, given how hard it is to mount a horse these days. I know she'll take good care of her and be sure she gets enough exercise. So I think I'm as prepared as I can be, at least regarding my farms.

"I _do_ need to get some furniture, though, and I should do that soon—before I get so huge I can barely move. I may need your help with that, if you're willing. I'm _hoping_ I can order what I need through Eileen, but if not, I'll have to get into the city for that. And I'll need help arranging it once I have it—that will be more than I can safely move right now."

"Sure," Cam said, sitting next to me on the sofa, somewhat hesitantly. "I can help with those things. When… when do you want to do all that?"

"I think I'll go over to Eileen's after dinner. Then if she can't help me, and if you're free, I'd like to go shopping tomorrow. I swear I'm getting visibly larger each day—if I put it off much longer, I won't be able to do it at all until after the baby comes… which is leaving it a bit late."

He nodded and stood up. "Why don't I cook tonight? You look like you're feeling really tired. Or if you don't trust my cooking—and I can't really blame you if you don't—maybe… I could buy you dinner at Howard's? Eileen's house is practically next door, so you could stop by either before or after, whichever you like."

I considered that—it certainly sounded nice, and I _was_ feeling tired. So far, these counseling sessions had been pretty emotionally draining. "Sure, that actually sounds really nice. Only _I'm_ buying." Cam started to protest, but I cut him short. "Listen, I _know_ that you were in the clinic for a while, recovering from all those fights you got into after my accident. That means that besides losing a lot of income due to not working, you _also_ have a lot of medical bills to pay. I'm okay financially—I have a pretty decent savings account, if you recall, and my farms have been doing well, despite not planting crops this season. My orchards and tea bushes alone bring in a nice, steady income—not to mention the products I sell from my livestock. So I'm doing pretty well. Certainly well enough to afford to buy us dinner."

I suggested that we stop at Eileen's before dinner, and then afterwards he could pick up anything he wanted to bring with him from his room while we were there. Eileen didn't have a means by which to order furniture for me, and while she was able to build _some_ basic furnishings, it just wasn't her forte. She really could only make solid wooden furniture, such as tables and basic bed frames—nothing upholstered or too elaborate in design. So Cam and I decided that we'd go shopping the next day, and headed on over to Howard's.

It turned out that our discussion on who would pay for dinner had been moot, though—Howard was so ecstatic that we were having a meal together, that he comped the entire dinner. I'm pretty certain that nothing and nobody could have persuaded him that we weren't getting back together—not even if the Harvest God and Harvest Goddess themselves had appeared before him to inform him of his mistaken notion.

After dinner, I chatted with Laney, explaining to her what the _real_ situation was, while Cam packed some clothing and a few sundry items. Then we returned to my house, stopping at Grady's along the way to see if he'd be willing to drive us to town in the morning. Most people on the mountain didn't bother with automobiles, as the terrain really wasn't suitable for driving. But Grady and a few others kept trucks that they used mainly for hauling livestock, hay, or other big loads. He said he'd be by to pick us up around 8:00 the next morning, so we thanked him and continued on home.

That night I had a dream. I dreamed that I was racked with pain—the beginning of labor. I was on the very top of the mountain, with Cam standing nearby to the west of me and Mikhail likewise to the east. As I curled up in a ball of searing pain, the two men hurled insults at each other over me until finally they both turned their backs on one another _and_ on me and stormed away—Cam towards Bluebell, and Mikhail towards Konohana—leaving me alone in my agony. I felt as though I was being torn in two, and when I saw a pool of blood forming around me, I was terrified. Then everything disappeared in a blinding, white light, and I heard a beautiful voice that I somehow _knew_ was the Harvest Goddess, calling my name. Then she appeared, radiant in her flowing robes, with ripe, golden grain woven into her long, elaborate, green braids. She held out a hand to me, and as I shakily grasped it, all went black. The next thing I knew, I was flying—or maybe gliding would better describe it—high above a cemetery. I saw two fresh graves, side by side, below me—a large one and a tiny one. And lying on top of the fresh brown earth of the larger grave were masses of red spots, and some white papers on top of those. I swooped down for a closer look, and I saw that the grave was adorned with roses and sonatas—and on the newly carved marker at the head of the grave was _my_ name.

I woke up screaming, and within seconds Cam tore into my room in a panic. "Alice, are you okay?! What is it? What's wrong?" he panted, breathless from shock and haste. I struggled to sit up, weeping so hard I was gasping for air. He sat next to me and put his arms around me, holding me close as I described my nightmare to him, still sobbing and shaking from the last remnants of terror, but relieved that it was only a dream and to feel the warmth of another human being wrapped around me. He just sat and held me, rocking me slightly as he murmured soothingly to comfort me. After a little while, my sobs quieted and my shaking subsided, and before long, I fell asleep cradled in his arms.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	58. Chapter 57

**AN:** Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy today's installment; please let me know what you think of the story! :)

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><p>I awoke early the next morning to brilliant sunshine and birdsong, feeling more refreshed than I had in some time. Then I recalled my nightmare, and being comforted by Cam. I looked around, feeling slightly panicked, but to my relief, I was alone in my room.<p>

I got up and pulled on some work clothes, then went out to the kitchen. After I started some coffee brewing, I went out to tend to my animals. When I returned, Cam was up and dressed and pouring a cup of coffee. When I walked in, he looked up at me, and I saw that he looked tired and bleary-eyed. I wondered how long he'd been awake holding me, and I felt guilty for disturbing his rest.

"I'm sorry about last night," I said, walking over and getting a mug from the cupboard. "I hope you managed to get some sleep anyway?"

"Yeah… some. I'll be all right after I've had some coffee," he mumbled, yawning, as he set the carafe back and shuffled towards the dining table. He sat down and sipped the scalding beverage, grimacing at the taste—he'd never been much of a coffee drinker, usually preferring tea instead. I offered to make him some, but he declined, saying he needed the extra caffeine.

I made breakfast for the two of us—a cheese and vegetable omelet, toast, and fruit. I ate mine quickly, then excused myself, saying, "Take your time—I want to take a shower before Grady gets here." He nodded, his mouth full, and I darted off to get cleaned up for our outing.

Grady arrived just before 8:00, and we hurried out the door. The nearest city, Riverside, was about fifty miles away—much too far to walk or ride. The train passed through the city, and since there was a stop only a few miles from our two towns, that was how most people travelled back and forth. But I hadn't felt up to the swaying, jolting motion of the train, nor had I wanted to be tied to the train schedule, since I didn't know how long it would take to complete my shopping. Therefore, I'd decided to arrange for a ride there and to hire a cab for the return trip. Fortunately, Grady had wanted to go to the city anyway, to stock up on feed for his horses and to investigate a livestock auction that was to take place later that day. He even offered to give us a ride back if we finished in time, though I didn't expect that to happen.

On the drive over, the two men chatted about this, that and the other thing, while I planned out what I needed to buy, what I wanted to buy, and how much I was willing to spend. By the time we arrived, I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for, my priorities, and my budget.

Grady dropped us off outside the larger of the three furniture stores in the shopping district, saying before he drove away that he'd be at the feed store for probably an hour, and then we could find him at the auction house on the edge of town afterwards. I thanked him and forced some gas money into his hand before heading in to the first store.

Cam trailed along behind me as I strode purposefully through the displays, examining the styles and prices offered. Fortunately, the three stores were all fairly close together—within a block of each other—so it was easy to comparison shop.

Finally, I made my choices, deciding on a suite of furniture for the baby's room that included a twin bed, a dresser, a bedside table, and a small desk and chair, as well as a crib to put in my room. I also purchased a set of furniture for my living room that included a sofa and loveseat set, a coffee table, and a set of end tables, plus two bookcases, a rocking chair, and mattresses for both the bed and the crib—all to be delivered next Wednesday. I had considered replacing my dining furniture and my bedroom furniture, too, as they had been my grandparents and were fairly battered with age and use, but I decided that I'd spent enough on furniture for the time being. The rest could wait.

At another store, I picked out bedding for both the twin bed and the crib, and picked up some more bath linens. Last of all, I picked out some baby clothes and other necessities at a couple of other stores. Cam gamely carried armloads of bags for me as I shopped, offered opinions when I asked—which admittedly wasn't very often—and kept his eye on me, suggesting a break anytime he thought I was looking too tired.

After the furniture shopping, we stopped for lunch at a small coffee shop. It seemed like a nice place, and I relaxed, glad to rest my aching feet while Cam went to the counter to order our lunches. On his way back, I was surprised to see a blonde approach him—she seemed vaguely familiar, but for the life of me, I couldn't place her. I heard her exclaim his name, and she followed him back as he returned to the table. When I saw the anxious, aggravated look on his face, it dawned on me who she must be, and I turned to her with a curious look.

She was of medium height, rather skinny in build except for her prominently displayed cleavage. Her hair was bleached blonde, her eyes were bright blue, and her makeup was on the heavy side. Dressed in a short, snug dress and very high heels, she looked better suited for a night out on the town than lunch in a quiet café. It appeared she was pleading her case to him as they walked, despite his determined indifference. He sat down across from me, giving me an appalled, apologetic look as she followed behind him to our table, simpering and prattling on and on. Then she suddenly noticed me and stopped, mid-sentence, to stare first at me, then at Cam. "And who is _this_?" she demanded, in a sharp voice. "You won't go out with _me_, but you'll go out with this… this _dog_? What is _wrong_ with you, anyway?" Then, putting on a sultry expression, she twined a strand of his hair around her finger and purred, "Why would you even _want_ to be with _her_, when you could have _me_?"

Cam looked seriously pissed off by this time, and knocking her hand away, he rose and turned angrily to her, saying, "When I could have _you_? Yeah, right, me and every other guy in the state! For the last time, get lost! I'm not interested in you—not now, not ever. And don't you _dare_ even speak so much as a _word_ about her—she's so much better than you, you aren't even worthy to lick her boots."

Turning first scarlet and then purple, she snapped, "And just who _is_ this oh-so-perfect goddess of yours, anyway? Your sister?"

"My wife," Cam replied, folding his arms over his chest. I looked at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow at his declaration.

She just stared at him, slack-jawed, then after a minute she began to laugh. "Oh, that's just fucking _hilarious_. Here you're insulting _me_, saying I'm so trashy, but who's the one who cheated on his wife with the little slut? You're no better than I am!"

"I never said I was," he said, coldly. "I only said that _she_ is better than you—which is, if anything, a vast understatement. Now take a hike, before I _really_ get angry."

She glared at him for a long moment, then turned and stormed away, shouting over her shoulder as she left, "You're not _worth_ it—you probably don't even _like_ women!"

Ignoring all the curious looks that were suddenly turned our way, Cam put his head in his hands. "Alice, I am so very sorry about that. I really thought I'd gotten through to her last time. Hopefully she's got the idea now."

I leaned back and looked at him. "Yes, but what idea does she _have_? I mean, yes, we're _technically_ still married… but I kind of feel like you used me as a shield. And I _really_ don't appreciate it. You got yourself into this situation, you know. I don't really care to be dragged into the middle of it. I have enough to worry about as it is."

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then paused and closed it again. Hanging his head, he said, "You… you're right. I did, and it wasn't fair to you. I apologize. But… I really didn't intend to misrepresent you. I _know_ we're separated, but… I just can't seem to stop thinking of you as my wife."

He looked so abashed and sincere, I felt my anger melting away. I sighed, and said, "Well, I'll overlook it this time. But… the next time you need help fending off a scorned lover, please don't come running to me for help. okay?"

He looked me in the eyes, saying in his quiet way, "There won't _be_ a next time, Alice. She was a huge mistake that won't be repeated. I don't want any lover but you."

Before I could respond to that, our lunch arrived. But even though our conversation strayed to other subjects and we never did return to that particular topic… I didn't forget his words, either.

As I'd expected, Grady was gone by the time I was through shopping, so Cam flagged down a cab for the return trip. Although trucks could, with care, maneuver the bumpy dirt road clear into town, cars just could not—not without scraping bottom frequently, that is. The nearest they could safely approach was about a mile downhill from the Bluebell town gate, so that was where the cabby dropped us off. He was a nice, older man who seemed genuinely worried about leaving a pregnant woman to walk the mile up the mountainside to town. But I just laughed and assured him that I was used to walking all over creation, even in my current condition, and left him a generous tip for his kind concern.

Cam carried most of my bags for me, grudgingly allowing me to carry only the lightest few. We walked home to my farm, arriving there about half an hour later—not too bad, given my condition and the rough path. Nevertheless, my feet and ankles were aching and puffy by the time we reached my house. Once inside, I immediately took my shoes off, and Cam was startled by how swollen my feet had become. Even after I assured him it was pretty normal for how far along I was, he still insisted that I go lie down and leave dinner preparations to him. He completely overrode my protests, practically pushing me into my bedroom and onto my bed. Eventually I gave up, seeing that he wasn't going to back down this time. "I'm supposed to be here to help you and to care for you when you need it. So _let_ me, already!" he scolded as he closed the door to my bedroom on his way out.

I sighed as I lay down on top of the quilt, though I had to admit that I was pretty tired and achy. And also… it _was_ kind of nice to have someone insist on taking care of me, for a change. The last thought that crossed my mind as I drifted off in a doze was that so far, at least, it wasn't bad at all to have Cam there helping—especially since he was being so much nicer again.

I woke some time later to the sound of my door opening. Cam poked his head in, asking, "Are you awake now? Do you feel like eating?"

I sat up and stretched. "Yeah, I'm starving! How long was I asleep, anyway?"

"Not all that long—maybe an hour and a half. I finished cooking a little while ago, but you were soundly asleep. So I put it on the back burner and got to work. I just finished cleaning the bathroom, and thought I'd see if you were awake and ready to eat before starting anything else."

"Definitely. Thanks, Cam." I struggled to get up—something that seemed to get more difficult each day—and he hurried over to lend a hand, pulling me to my feet. As I walked towards the dining room, I commented, "It smells really good! What did you make?"

"Nothing fancy, just a curry. I hope that's okay? I tried not to make it too spicy, since I thought I remembered hearing that pregnant woman can't eat spicy food."

I smiled as I sat down. "That's perfect—I love curry, as you know. And so far I don't seem to be troubled with indigestion like a lot of women are, but mild is fine anyway." He looked relieved and hurried off to dish up our meal.

Over the next couple of days, we established a workday routine. I'd rise early, as usual, and make breakfast first thing. After breakfast, Cam would tackle some cleaning or laundry before heading to his shop to set up for the day. While he was gone, I'd take care of my animals, then I'd make lunch and take it to him before making my rounds, visiting the villagers in Bluebell and checking the message board.

After lunch, I'd walk over to Konohana to tend my fields and orchards and make my rounds there. Then I'd return home and put my feet up for a little while—reading or knitting or doing the mending—before starting dinner. After dinner, Cam would again tackle some cleaning, or bring in the laundry to fold. Then we'd relax for a little while before heading off to bed.

Sunday night, as we sat reading in the living room, I made some remark about him being gone the next day—as he normally was away all day on Mondays, visiting his parents' graves—and he looked up at me in surprise. "I'm not going," he said, as though he'd thought it was obvious.

"You… you aren't?"

"No, of course not. How can I help you if I'm gone all day? So for now, at least, I'm not going to go. I'm sure my parents would understand. I know if they were alive, they'd be furious if I left you alone all day and something happened. And besides, I've been thinking… maybe it's time I finally let go. I think if I visit them a few times a year instead of weekly, that will be enough to honor their memory."

I just stared at him—I was so accustomed to him being gone every Monday, with only a few exceptions, that it had never occurred to me that he'd ever give up that tradition. Still, nice as it would be to have him around in case of an emergency… there was a potential problem with his plan.

"You know… Mikhail will be returning tomorrow for a couple of days. So I don't know if you want to change your mind or not… I know you aren't exactly eager to see him."

He flushed and looked away. "Do… do you want me to make myself scarce, then? So you and he…." He stopped, unable or unwilling to complete his sentence.

I shrugged. "It's your call, Cam. I seriously doubt anything's going to happen, anyway. Like I said before, that one night was the only time we've… been together. And I don't see a repeat of that night happening anytime soon… if ever, to be honest. He's always had so much talent, you know. And over the past few years, he's developed a solid reputation on a national level, and even a little international fame. Just a teeny bit, though, until now. I think that now his career is really, truly, _finally_ taking off. And that… that just might mean that it's over between us, before we even really start. I just don't know. I _do_ know that lately he's been very busy and… well, preoccupied on the rare occasions that I _do_ get to see him for a little while."

Cam was silent for several minutes. Then he tentatively put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a gentle squeeze. "I… I'm sorry, Alice. As painful as it is to see you with him and to hear you talk about him… I know he was able to make you happy—something I really failed at doing. I wish…." He trailed off into silence and looked away.

"What? What do you wish?" I said after a moment, looking at him in puzzlement.

He hesitated, then looked at me and gave me a half smile. "I wish that you were happy—no matter with whom. That's all. Just… just wishing for you to be as happy as you deserve to be."

As I reached over up gave his hand a squeeze, I was suddenly reminded of our unfinished conversation from our last session. "Speaking of wishes, what was it you were wishing at the doctor's office? You said you'd tell me later, but you never did."

He turned bright red and looked at the floor. "Oh. That. I did say I would tell you, didn't I? Well…." He looked at me with grief-stricken eyes, saying, "I… I was wishing that… that I hadn't been so incredibly _stupid_, that I could just take back all the terrible things I've said and done… and that… I could have some part in our—I mean, in _your_—baby's life. Being there with you during your exam, I could _almost_ pretend for one absolutely perfect moment that everything was okay, that you still loved me, and that we'd always be there for each other, raising our child side by side and growing old together… just like I'd always hoped and dreamed… before I ruined everything."

I reached up and squeezed his hand again as I stared off into space. "You know, despite what I said when I was so furious with you… you _are_ her father. Nothing can take that from you. You could choose not to acknowledge her or to have a role in her life, but you'd still be her father. If you… if you really _do_ want to be involved in her life, I… I won't prevent you. At least, as long as you don't… well, lose it again like you did. So… maybe you should consider getting some counseling, besides the marriage counseling we're getting, I mean. It's up to you, of course, but… well, it might help you avoid doing something like that again in the future."

He didn't respond, and after a moment, I turned and looked up at him. To my surprise, there were tears in his eyes. He hastily wiped his eyes and gave me a tremulous smile. "Thank you, Alice," he said, hoarsely. "That… I can't tell you how much that means to me."

I smiled reassuringly at him and squeezed his hand once again. "You don't need to," I replied. "I already know."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	59. Chapter 58

**AN:** Thank you for reading! I love to hear from readers, too-even just a quick note to let me know that you're enjoying it is terrifically motivating!

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><p>Since Cam didn't work on Mondays and had chosen to stay home instead of leaving as usual, I let him sleep in. Never really a morning person, he'd been more tired than usual lately, between the extra work he was doing to help me and his not-so-comfy bed. So I tip-toed around the house as quietly as I could, getting ready to start my day. I did my farm chores first thing, only taking the time to start the coffee brewing before heading to the barn.<p>

When I came back inside, I took a shower and dressed next, then poured a cup of coffee and started preparing breakfast. Or brunch rather, I thought to myself as I sipped my coffee and glanced at the clock—it was late morning already, and Cam was still asleep.

I decided that as I'd baked a few loaves of bread a couple days ago and had some left that was just slightly stale, I'd make French toast. To go with it, I thought I'd cook some bacon and make a fruit salad with honey-lime dressing. Juice and a pot of tea should round it out nicely, I decided, and I set to work, slicing the bread and whisking the egg mixture.

As I washed my hands after laying the bread in the eggs to soak, there came a knock on my door. I quickly dried my hands, but before I finished, the door opened and Mikhail stepped in, a broad smile on his face. "Alice! I'm back, and how I've missed you!" he exclaimed as he caught me up in a big hug. I laughed and groaned at the same time—he was hugging me so hard, it hurt my aching, swollen breasts. He immediately released me, apologizing, then gently caressed my round belly. "Sorry, I just couldn't help squeezing you," he said, sheepishly. "I didn't intend to cause you discomfort. How's your little miss today?"

Just then, the baby's bedroom door opened and Cam stumbled out, looking still half asleep, wearing only his boxers. "G'morning," he yawned as he headed straight for the coffee. He didn't seem to even notice Mikhail until he was practically face to face with him, then he stopped and his eyes opened wide. "Oh…. Oh! You, uhh… you're back."

Mikhail stared at him, then looked at me with a mixture of surprise, jealousy, hurt, puzzlement, and even a hint of resignation in his eyes. "What…?"

"Dr. Ayame recommended I have someone stay here with me, just in case I need help or in case of an emergency. She thought it wasn't a good idea for me to be on my own here on the farm, especially as this is my first pregnancy. She suggested a family member or a friend, but I couldn't think of anyone who'd be willing and able to spare so much time. Then Cam offered to come and stay here with me. He's staying in the baby's room, sleeping on a cot for now, until my new furniture arrives. It's been a huge relief to have him here helping out. I hadn't realized what a difference it would make."

"Indeed," was his only reply, as he watched Cam closely.

Cam gave me a half-hearted smile, then squeezed past us to get a cup of coffee. Taking a long pull at the steaming black liquid, he looked at me uncertainly. "So… should I go to Howard's? Get out of your hair for a while?"

I leaned against the counter and smiled at him. "No, it's okay. Besides, I've already started breakfast. Mikhail, would you like to join us? I'm making French toast."

He looked at me for a moment, then at Cam, as if appraising the situation. He shrugged one shoulder, saying, "No, but thank you. I've already had breakfast, and I need to go unpack. I'll be leaving again tomorrow morning, so I need to see to my laundry and things."

"That soon?" I exclaimed in dismay, looking down and biting my lip. I turned away and flipped the bread to soak on the other side as I sighed, "Well, if you bring your laundry over, I'll wash it and hang it out for you."

"Thanks," he replied. "I think I'll take you up on that, if it's no imposition."

"No, but I'll warn you now—I'm only washing it and hanging it up. You'll have to do your own folding and ironing," I said with a half smile.

He smiled back, and said, "It's a deal. I'd better get back to my room now, but I'll return soon with my clothing. Thank you, Alice—that's very kind of you."

"Sure. If I'm not here, I'm probably at my other farm, so in that case, just leave your laundry and I'll wash it as soon as I get back." I walked him to the door and gave him a kiss, and he left.

Returning to the kitchen, I looked over at Cam, who was leaning against the fridge, sipping coffee and staring at the floor. "Cam? Are you still tired? Didn't you sleep well?"

He shrugged. "No… it's not that. It's just…." He sighed deeply and took a big gulp of coffee. "It's just really hard to see you with him. Especially knowing that… that if I hadn't been such an _idiot_, you'd still be with _me_."

And since what he said was pretty much true, I really didn't have a comforting reply to give him.

Mikhail left early the next morning, and all I'd seen of him was a few brief stops when he dropped off and picked up his laundry and a slightly rushed dinner at Yun's Tea House. He kissed me goodnight at my door—just a quick kiss—and declined my offer of coffee or a nightcap.

Before leaving, he apologized profusely for how little time we'd had together, explaining that he needed to leave before dawn to catch the earliest train. "I just wanted to see you, even if only briefly. I've missed you, Alice. I'll be gone for at least another four days… but it's likely that it will be longer. There is even a possibility that I won't be able to get back at all before we leave. I _hope_ that isn't the case—I want nothing more than to spend some time alone with you before being away all summer. But… it might be unavoidable. I will certainly write to you, although once I'm traveling, you won't be able to write back to me. So just in case it turns out that I don't see you again until the fall…." Then he kissed me again— finally a _real_ kiss, not a quick peck before he rushed off, but a heartfelt kiss full of passion… and something more. Then he was gone.

Tuesday after he closed up shop, Cam came home and asked if I would like to go for a walk with him, since it was a gorgeous spring evening—sunny and warm. I agreed, and we started up the mountain path towards the river.

As we strolled along the river, we watched the fish splashing in the shallows and admired the blooms that thickly covered the wild plum trees lining the riverbanks. It felt so nostalgic, walking with him like that—it reminded me of all the times we'd wandered along those same paths while first getting to know each other and then, later, as we dated.

After a while, I felt a little tired and short of breath, so we sat on a log near the water and watched the butterflies dancing among the spring flowers and listened to the tree frogs as they began their evening chorus. The baby apparently didn't approve of my sitting still, though, and soon she began to kick and wiggle around. I jumped at one particularly firm kick, and Cam quickly looked at me. "Are you okay? Do you want to go home?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's just the baby—" I started to say before he jumped up, looking anxious.

"What _about_ the baby?" he interrupted. "Can you make it to the clinic? Should I run and get the doctor?"

Laughing, I pulled him back down to his seat. "No, no—everything's _fine_, Cam. Really. Calm down! She's just getting a little active, and she startled me a bit. Here, do you want to see if you can feel her moving?"

His face lit up and he nodded. I took his hand and pressed it against my belly right over where she had just been kicking, but, perversely, she grew still as soon as he touched me. "Just be patient—she's probably just waiting to see what happens. If you wait a bit, she may start up again soon."

He nodded and waited in silence, as if afraid that speaking would break the spell. After a little while, she shifted a little—not much, but noticeably so nonetheless. His eyes widened as he felt her squirming under his hand, and then she kicked a couple of times. He smiled broadly, and even more so when, a moment later, she somersaulted, flipping over beneath his touch. She then grew quiet, and after a few more minutes, he slowly removed his hand and sighed.

"I don't think I could _ever_ get tired of feeling her moving like that. It's just so… incredible. You're an amazing woman, Alice."

I smiled and shrugged. "Thanks, but I'm no more impressive than any other pregnant woman—we're _all_ busy growing small people, you know."

He shook his head. "No—you're _definitely_ more amazing, to me anyway. And _she's_ going to be amazing, too, just like her mother. I just know it."

He sat silently afterwards, just staring out across the river as the shadows lengthened and twilight crept up on us. After several minutes, I said, "A penny for your thoughts?"

He started, then looked embarrassed. He stood and held a hand out to pull me to my feet, then looked around at the river and the trees as we stood there. "I… was just remembering all the times we've been for walks along here. Just as friends at first, then as more than friends… walks in all seasons and in nearly all kinds of weather. And talks—we talked about everything and anything. I have so many memories attached to this place now—and most of them are of you. I can hardly even remember what life was like before you arrived in town anymore."

I blushed a little, and admitted, "I was thinking pretty much the same thing myself. Remembering walking and talking with you as we became acquainted, then became friends, then as we started to see each other. I have a lot of memories connected to this river, too. Some of them are lovely memories—romantic walks, watching the sunset, kissing under the trees; and some of them are bittersweet—arguments and misunderstandings that we'd try to work out here where we had some privacy. But all of them are precious to me."

He fumbled for my hand, then, and finding it, he gave it a firm but gentle squeeze as he looked down at me with a wistful smile. "Come on, let's go home, shall we?"

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	60. Chapter 59

**AN:** Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy today's installment! I'd love to hear what you think of it-reviews and PM's can really make my day! :)

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><p>The greatest challenge in having a large delivery scheduled to somewhere as remote as Bluebell, I discovered, was the lack of phone service. The only places in both of the towns that had phones at all were the town halls, the clinic, and the mailman, Dirk. And even then, the phone lines were often down due to storms or fallen trees. So when the day for my furniture delivery arrived, I had no way of knowing when they'd be there. They had the number for the town hall in case they got lost along the way, but I had to sit around and wait all day for them to show up.<p>

Finally, in the middle of the afternoon, a large truck came rumbling down my long, winding driveway. It pulled up to my house, and two men stepped out. The driver, the older of the two, walked up to me, saying, "Whew, lady! They weren't kidding when they said you live in the boonies! How do you manage those god-awful roads?"

I laughed as I took the paperwork he handed to me. "Well, I don't. A few of us here have trucks, but mostly we get around either on foot or using horses. And honestly, we just don't leave town all that often. We're pretty self-sufficient here."

He just shook his head as I signed the delivery note where he indicated. "Well, ma'am, I don't envy you. But I guess it takes all sorts…. Now where do you want us to put your things? Your purchases include delivery into the room and any assembly that's required."

"Why don't you start to unload it, and I'll show you where the pieces go as you bring them in?"

It took a while, as several items needed a little assembly, but they had nearly finished by the time Cam arrived. He stepped gingerly around where they were working, putting the shelves in the living room bookcase, and admired the new furnishings.

"Gotta hand it to ya," the younger one said, looking up at him with a grin. "Your missus has good taste. Knows exactly what she wants, too."

"My…." he said, looking bewildered for a moment. "Oh! No, we're not… I mean, we're… we're separated."

"Oh, yeah?" said the boy, looking me up and down with keen interest, in spite of my swelling belly. "Hey, you doing anything tonight? I'm off work as soon as we're done here."

Cam looked furious, but he held his tongue, compressing his lips tightly in the effort. I choked a little, trying not to laugh out loud. "No, sorry. I'm not available."

He looked confused. "But I thought he said you was…"

"Not. Available. _Period_." I said with a frown.

"Geez, _okay_, lady," he said, scowling as he turned back to his work.

"Back off, Romeo," his coworker said with a chuckle. "The lady's not interested. Can't say I blame her, either—like you said, she has good taste. And _you_ shouldn't be hitting on clients—remember the last time? You know what the boss told you then."

The young man grimaced. "Yeah, yeah, okay…. Hey, sorry, lady. I… I was just kidding, ya know."

I shrugged and turned to walk away. "Sure, whatever."

After they left, Cam helped me rearrange things until I was satisfied with their placement. I made up the bed with the linens I'd purchased—crisp, white cotton sheets and a white matelassé bedspread. Pretty, and _not_ pink. Eileen had repainted the walls in that room a creamy white with dark brown trim that nearly matched the dark wood of the floors. The ceiling was a pale French blue, and the furniture was oak with a light, warm stain. Overall, with the addition of some pink accents and a few floral prints on the walls, it looked feminine but not too girly.

That evening, as I sat knitting while Cam read, he suddenly set the book down on the coffee table and looked at me. "Alice?" he asked.

"Hmmm?" I said, not looking up from my knitting, as I was in the middle of a complicated row.

"What are you going to call her?"

I hesitated while I finished my row, then I set my knitting down and looked at him. "I haven't decided. I was thinking maybe of naming her after one of my grandmothers… but to be honest, I'm not crazy about either Nellie or Katya as a name. I don't want to name her for my mom—it would be a pain whenever we got together. So I was thinking of a nature name of some sort, since I'm a farmer who lives on a mountain, you know."

"You mean… like a flower name, maybe?" he asked, eagerly.

"Well… yeah, something like that. Rose is out—this is too small of a town for two Roses. So I was thinking of Lily or Violet or maybe Jasmine. I was also thinking of either Brooke or Summer. And I'm kind of torn between my mom's name for her middle name, or something else—it all depends on what I end up choosing for her first name."

"And… what will her last name be?" he asked, looking down at the book on the table before him with a nervous air.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Oh! I… hadn't thought about that. I… I suppose it depends on what happens. I mean, she'll have whatever my last name is, so it would depend on whether my name has changed by the time she's born…."

He flushed red and grabbed his book, opening it and looking at it intently—though I noticed he was holding it upside down. After a few minutes, he said in a low voice, "It's… it's your choice, of course. I know I don't get a say—I'm not contesting that. But… but for what it's worth, I _really_ like Lily." Then he jumped up and darted into his room, his cheeks still flaming, as I stared after him.

The next day was the third of our four appointments. I was a little concerned, as I hadn't felt the baby move at all that morning. So when we arrived, I anxiously told Dr. Ayame that I was worried by her unusual stillness.

"She's probably just fine, Alice—it hasn't been long enough to panic yet. But for your peace of mind, why don't we switch the appointments and do your exam first?"

I nodded in relief and looked over at Cam, who likewise looked worried. "You… you can come, too. If you want to, that is."

"I'd like that—thanks, Alice," he said, looking a little relieved.

As before, she started with a weigh-in, noting with a pleased look that I'd gained a little more weight this time. "It looks like you've been eating a little better this past week. I guess that's an extra benefit of having a housemate—more regular eating habits."

Next she pulled out the Doppler. She had a much harder time finding the baby's heart rate this time—I couldn't direct her where to look, because there was no movement to indicate where to find her. The longer it took, the more anxious I felt, and I saw my own anxiety reflected in Cam's face.

After quite some time—or what _felt_ like a long time, anyway—she finally found a faint heart beat. "Ahh, here we go!" she exclaimed, turning towards the monitor. "See, her heart rate is at 126 bpm right now."

"But… that's so much slower than last time," Cam remarked, still looking concerned. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, as far as I can tell. She's probably just sound asleep—which would also explain the lack of movement. As I said earlier, it hasn't been long enough to worry about. But I also knew that telling you so wasn't going to do anything to alleviate your concerns, which is why I suggested switching the order of the appointments. Now that you've heard her heart beating, I bet both of you are feeling better, aren't you?"

I laughed and agreed, and Cam nodded with a sigh of relief.

"Well, then let's finish up here, and get over to my office, shall we?"

She finished the routine exam, noting as she took measurements and vital signs that everything was normal. My blood pressure was up to a more normal level this time, too, which good news—I'd been afraid of blacking out in the barn or something while it had been low.

As I stood and adjusted my clothing after she'd finished her exam, she said, "Well, Alice, so far so good. Other than your accident and the recovery from that—and the bleeding that I think was the result of your accident—everything has progressed very much according to the book. Hopefully we can avoid any of the complications that sometimes accompany a first pregnancy. I don't think you have too much longer to wait, now. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she arrives before the end of summer. In fact, I'd be much more surprised if she _hasn't_. I think we'll do a final ultrasound in a couple of weeks, just to check in on her."

Then she stood and led the way back to her office, Cam and I falling in behind her.

Once there, we took our usual places. Leaning back in her chair and looking back and forth between us, Dr. Ayame spoke. "All right, kids. Last time we discussed Cam's infidelity and at least touched on what lay behind it. That's all well and good, and Alice, I'm very glad you spoke up, since I was unaware of it, and since it had been preying on your mind, naturally enough.

"This week, though, I want to cover what I'd originally planned to discuss last week. Namely, I want to talk about _you_, Alice."

"Me?" I said, squeaking a little in surprise.

"Yep, you. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. The failure or success of a marriage can only very, very rarely—if ever—be attributed solely to one party."

"But wh-what did I…?" I stammered, baffled. "Are you saying… are you saying that all this is my fault, too?"

She nodded. "I know you can't see it. But it's true nonetheless. Now tell me, Alice. When you are in a crisis situation, how do you respond?"

I just stared at her blankly—I had no idea what she meant.

Seeing my bafflement, she sighed. "Okay, let's try again. Think back to an early crisis or some really awful situation. Tell me about it, and tell me what you did—what your response was."

I thought back. "I have a few I could pick from… I suppose the earliest one I can remember was when my best friend died." I felt my throat tighten as I remembered that day.

"What happened?" she asked, not unkindly.

"We were riding horses in the mountains where I grew up. They were rugged mountains covered in thick stands of deciduous forest, and the hills were often slippery with an accumulation of dead and decaying leaves. The frequent, long rainy spells we had made them even more slippery and unstable. She… she had a new horse, her first _real_ horse—not a pony, I mean. She was a bit of a show-off, and she was keen to show me how well she could handle him. She wanted to race, but I refused—the hills were too dangerous for racing up and down them like that. But she wouldn't listen to me, and took off at a gallop. She… her gelding lost his footing and they slid down a steep slope, out of control, and crashed into some boulders near the bottom. He landed on her—breaking his back and her neck. Both of them died."

I was in tears by the end, and Cam scooted his chair closer and put an arm around me, drawing me closer so that I could cry into his shoulder. Dr. Ayame held out the box of tissues on her desk for me, waiting for my tears to subside.

"Well, sweetie, I'm sorry that happened, truly I am. But now I want you to think back—not about what happened to your friend, but how _you_ handled the situation. What was your response when she first proposed the race?"

I sniffled and blew my nose as I thought. "I… I guess I just said no. I mean… what else…?"

"What I want you to see, kiddo, is that you just went with the flow. You didn't _do_ anything."

"But what could I…?"

"What if, instead of just saying no while still tagging along, you'd turned around and gone back?"

I stared at her. "You… you mean… if I'd just left her? But then, no one would have been there when she…."

"Sweetie, think about it. You said she was a show-off, right? Well, if she'd been deprived of her audience, she wouldn't have had any motivation to go galloping off recklessly. If anything, your refusal on the very sensible grounds that it was too dangerous merely added fuel to her desire to prove herself. If you'd responded more actively—turning around and going home, for example—instead of passively just saying no while still following her lead… your friend would probably have returned with you instead of pressing on."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "You… you mean… it's _my_ fault that Ruby died? That I…."

Cam angrily turned to face her, putting his arms around me as if to shelter me from her words. "Hey, now, that's going too far, doc! How can you blame Alice for her friend's death? That… that's just messed up! She didn't make her friend go tearing across the countryside—she tried to _stop_ her! The only one to blame is Ruby, not Alice!"

"Calm down, Cam. I did _not_ say it was Alice's fault. I'm sorry it's painful for her, but after all, _she_ picked the example—not me. I'm trying to point out to her that her passivity can have negative consequences of which she almost certainly isn't aware, and not only for her.

"Let's move on to a more current example: that day when you learned you were pregnant. We've already covered Cam's response, so let's look at yours. When Cam verbally attacked you, what did you do?"

"I… I was in shock…."

"I'm sure you were, but nevertheless, what was your response?"

"I… slapped him, and I said I hated him… and I left."

"Not _just_ left, either, you legged it—I saw you. You could have won a race, easily. Again, running away from a situation is a more passive response—you're ignoring a problem instead of dealing with it. With your friend, leaving the scene was the more active response, as you would have been taking the lead instead of following hers. However, with Cam, leaving the scene _wasn't_ taking the lead, it was fleeing—and as you learned, it solved nothing. So think back at how you might have reacted differently—taking an active role instead of remaining passive."

I thought it over, or tried to—I felt a little put upon, and I couldn't quite keep the tears from spilling out of the corners of my eyes. After a few minutes, I said, "I… well, I could have stayed, for one. But… what he said hurt so much, I just couldn't…."

"Alice, sweetie, let me use a relevant analogy here. Soon the time will come for your baby to arrive, right?" I nodded, confused. "And just how do you think your baby will be arriving? You're a farmer—surely you've seen animals give birth."

"I… I…." I stammered, still baffled.

"My point is that childbirth _hurts_. It hurts _a lot_. In fact, it will likely be some of the worst pain you'll ever feel. But… despite the pain, women all over the world happily and even eagerly have multiple children. Why? Because they know that although it's tremendously painful at the time, it's so _very_ worth it in the end. Many things in life are like that, Alice. Time after time, you'll find that something hurts you terribly while you're experiencing it, but that the end result is worth the suffering."

I thought about her words, glancing at Cam, who looked lost in a brown study as he sat watching me. "I… suppose I could have stayed. I guess when I slapped him and yelled at him, that probably just riled him up even more. Maybe… if I'd just waited until he calmed down… maybe we could have talked it over? Maybe if we'd just _listened_ to each other…?"

"That's a lot of maybes, Alice. But at least now you're thinking of better ways to handle the situation." She sighed and tapped the tip of her pen on her desk a few times as she thought. "I'm not trying to assign blame to you, Alice, but neither am I assigning it to Cam. Hopefully by now you two are beginning to realize some of the biggest obstacles you face—not just in your marriage, but in your lives overall. Cam, yours is your insecurity—it seems to me that lies at the root of many of your problems. And Alice, yours is how nonconfrontational and passive you are. You can't just sit around waiting for something to happen, and then when something _unpleasant_ happens, act surprised and feel victimized by it. Remember—no one can walk all over you unless you first lie down on the ground and let them.

"Cam, I'd like to see you schedule some counseling to help you deal with your fears and insecurities. I think that may be more than you can handle on your own. I'm not a psychologist, but I can get you a referral to someone in the city. I know it won't be easy to get there for regular appointments, but I think you'll find it worth your while in the long run.

"Alice, I'd like to see you just… stand up for yourself. Don't just wait around, accepting whatever life drops in your lap. Take the bull by the horns—decide what _you_ want, and then go for it. You're a bright, clever, and interesting young woman. So reach for those stars, kiddo. Don't be afraid of failure—_everyone_ fails sometimes, but we can learn from our mistakes. That's how we grow. And if you never risk failure, you'll never find success. But first you need to know just _what_ it is that you want."

"What… what _I_ want?" I said, numbly.

"Yes, what _you_ want—it's fine to try to please others, and of course no one likes someone who thinks only of themselves. But I think it's safe to say that you could bear think of yourself a little more frequently than you do at present… to put it mildly. So what _do_ you want, Alice?"

I stared at her, then at Cam, trying to wrap my head around what she'd said. Both of them waited patiently, looking encouragingly at me.

After a few minutes, Dr. Ayame sighed. "Well, think it over, kiddo. Our time's up, so let's go get your last appointment scheduled, okay?"

She and Cam stood up, but I remained seated. "Wait," I said, and they both turned to look at me in surprise.

"I… let's not schedule that appointment quite yet." Cam looked startled, but the doctor gave me an long, appraising look. I flushed and stood, turning to face Cam.

"What I _want_… what _I_ want… is…. I want _you_. I want you to come back to me, and for us to try to make things work. Even if things never quite go back to how they were before, I don't want to just give you up, either."

Cam stared at me, dumbfounded. "Are… but _why_? Why would you _want_ me back, after everything I said and did to you? Why would you want _me_ back when you've got _Mikhail_?"

I gave him a faint smile. "That's your insecurity talking. I want _you_ back, because you're the man I chose to marry. And even though you _did_ hurt me terribly, I… I know I could have handled things better, too. Instead of making them worse, which is what I did. But you know, I picked you over Mikhail, and… I _still_ pick you over him. It's not that I don't love him, too. I won't lie—I _do_. But… not like I love _you_.

"I'll be frank—maybe more frank than you want, even, but I've always been truthful with you. Mikhail is wonderful in many ways. I _am_ happy when I'm with him—he's caring and considerate, he's fun to be around, and he's… well, honestly, he's a very good lover. He makes me feel good, inside _and_ out. But… no matter how much he loves me, he'll always love music the most. It's too much a part of his life to spare much room for me in it. Even if he _could_ put me before his music—and that's a big 'if'—his violin would always be like a mistress that he could never relinquish. And I wouldn't want him to, anyway.

"As to _you_… I can't really explain _why_ I love you. There are a lot of things about you that I love, but I think they're more the result of how I feel about you, rather than the cause. I just know that I _do_—and that life without you has felt more empty and… and _alone_ than I would ever have imagined possible. It's funny—I can list all kinds of pros and cons for Mikhail, but not for you. I think maybe my love for you is just too intrinsic for explanation.

"What I _want_… or rather, what I _don't_ want—is to just walk away, or to just stand by and let you go. So… if you're willing… I want to try again—to start over, even, if needed."

"If… if _I'm_ willing?" Cam asked, incredulously. He stared at me for a minute, tears shining in his eyes, then he swept me up in a jubilant embrace. "I… I feel like I'm on cloud nine. I've never wanted anything so much in all my life as to have another chance with you, Alice."

Dr. Ayame watched us, clearly tickled by our impromptu reconciliation. "So… you won't be wanting that last appointment anytime soon, I take it?"

We both laughed even as we cried. "No… I don't think that will be necessary," I replied, and I pulled Cam out the door. "Come on, Cam. Let's go home."

As we slowly ambled back towards Bluebell, he reached for my hand. I looked up at him and smiled, then I squeezed his hand and leaned lightly into him for a moment as we walked. When we reached the front door, I pulled him down a little towards me and whispered, "I like Lily the best, too."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	61. Chapter 60

**AN:** Warning: there is a character death in this chapter. Further AN following this chapter. Thanks for reading!

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><p>Grandma shifted tiredly in her chair, looking rather drained. She turned her head and gazed out the window, lost in silent reverie for several minutes before she resumed her narrative.<p>

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><p>Well, Lori dear, as much as I'd love to say that things were always ideal afterwards, they weren't. We were still two flawed individuals, and we had our share of disagreements, misunderstandings, and even a few fights. But… we tried, and we didn't give up. And with time, as we learned more about each other—and ourselves—things improved. We never had a <em>perfect<em> marriage, but we did have a _happy_ one, and I never regretted our decision to stay together.

Early in the morning on the 22nd day of summer, we welcomed our daughter—your mother—into the world. We christened her Liliana Faith Blake—Lily for short. Her first name was a combination of Lily and my mother's name, Anna; her middle name, Faith, was a reminder for us to have faith in each other and ourselves.

Your mother was a healthy baby, weighing in at a little over eight pounds and measuring not quite nineteen inches in length. She was red and wrinkly and perfectly beautiful. It was love at first sight for both of us. Cam had been working hard to be a better husband… but he was a natural when it came to fatherhood. The tender light in his eyes as he gazed down at the tiny miracle asleep in his arms… it was incredible to see. Two years later, your aunt joined our family—christened Camellia Faye and called Cami for short, she was named for Cam and, of course, for the lovely flower, and given Cam's mother's name for her middle name. And your grandpa was every bit as tender and adoring with her as he was with your mom—and likewise with you, when you were born.

Mikhail returned on the fifth day of fall, when Lily was just two weeks old. Cam was at work, and Alisa, the young nun I'd hired to help care for Lily part-time, had not yet arrived. So I was alone with my sleeping baby when he came knocking on my door.

I let him in, dreading the interview, but I could see even before he walked through the door that he knew. I don't know how—if Beth had somehow told him, or someone in Bluebell, or perhaps even Cam himself. But… he _knew_. He looked so… sad. No—more like wistful, as if he was just waking from a beautiful dream and realizing it was nothing more than a dream. Looking at the sleeping child cradled against me, he sighed. "It… was lovely while it lasted, Alice. Deep down, I knew it had no substance. Though for a brief, shining moment, I allowed myself to hope—perhaps more than I should have."

He declined my offer of tea, saying, "Thank you, but no. I'm… not staying, Alice." I exclaimed aloud, startled, waking Lily as a result. He reached out a hand and lightly brushed her plump little cheek with his finger. "She's lovely, as I knew she would be—just like her mother." He sighed and continued. "No, I didn't accept either Ina's or Rutger's offers this year. I… had a feeling I wouldn't be staying on this time. Even if neither of you could see it back then, before I left, _I_ could. I could see how much you both still loved each other."

"But… but _why_? Why _can't_ you stay?" I asked, feeling tears pricking my eyes.

He looked at me with a sad smile. "Do you _really_ need to ask me that, Alice? Very well. First, I could not bear to be a cause of discord between you and your husband. And you _know_—with all that has passed between us—that I would be just that. I would not endanger your happiness for any price, even if it costs me my own. And second, it's… too painful. To have come so close to such bliss, just to lose it in the end… it's too much to bear. If I stayed, every time I saw you—every time I saw you _with him_—I would die a little inside. So… it's better that I take my leave of you. This time… I'm afraid forever."

I couldn't stop the tears that strangled my voice, then, as he gently raised my hand to his lips and kissed it. "I wish for nothing but the best, the highest, the most supreme happiness in your life, Alice. I'll… never forget you."

He turned then and left, but then he hesitated as if undecided about something. Without turning back he said, "But… should you ever… if you and he…. My friends in Port Crescent will always know how to reach me. That—that's all. Farewell, Alice." And then he closed the door softly behind him, leaving me weeping as I tried to console Lily—and myself.

I… never saw him again.

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><p>Grandma sighed, as if relinquishing decades of care at long last, as silent tears trickled down her cheeks. "Grandma? Are you okay?" I asked her, worried at how tired she seemed. I rose from my chair and fetched a box of tissues for her.<p>

"Yes, my dear, I'm fine. Just… just tired. It was rather taxing to relive all of that." She looked up at me as I stood by her chair, looking anxiously down at her. "Really, I'm fine. I just… need a little rest." She took a proffered tissue and dabbed gently at her eyes.

"Maybe I should leave, then? Or would you rather I stay?"

"Go on, my dear. You've already spent quite a lot of your time listening to your old Granny yammering on," she said with a smile, and despite looking so worn out, her eyes still sparkled. "Go spend some time with that handsome fiancé of yours. I'll just take a little nap…." she said, closing her eyes and settling back into her chair.

As I turned to leave, she called after me, "Lori, dear…." I turned back again, and although her eyes remained closed, there was a trace of tears still trailing down her fragile cheeks. "You know, I loved your grandpa very much, and he was my shelter from the storm. But Mikhail—Mikhail was my dance in the rain."

She sighed, and I stared at her for a moment, watching as her breathing quieted and she seemed to drift into a light sleep. I quietly crept away, then, closing the door softly behind me so as not to disturb her rest.

I was the last person to see her alive.

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><p>The funeral, a week after her death, was lovely—she'd have been both surprised and gratified at how many came to say their final farewells to her. I don't think she ever fully realized just how many lives she'd touched—how much goodwill her years of kindness and generosity had won her.<p>

Afterwards, when the service was over, and the last shovelful of earth had been patted firmly into place, and all the food had been eaten and all the drinks had been drunk and the last guest had gone home… I returned to the cemetery. I was her only granddaughter, and I'd been especially close to her—I might even say she was my dearest friend. I was heartbroken to have lost her, and I wanted a little quiet time alone to sit and think back over our last conversation—over the story of her and my grandpa—her parting gift to me.

As I approached the gravesite, I was surprised by the sound of soft music. Ducking behind a large statue nearby, I peeked out and looked towards Grandma's grave. There, I saw an elderly man playing a violin as he stood facing the marble slab. Full of curiosity and wonder, I waited and listened to the strains of sweet, melancholic music floating to me on the gentle breeze.

When he finished, he lowered his instrument, and hung his head, standing in silence. I crept out of my hiding spot and quietly approached him. As I drew near, I realized the old man was crying. I didn't recognize him—he hadn't been at the funeral, and he looked wholly unfamiliar to me. Still, I had my suspicions.

Hearing my footsteps, he looked quickly up, startled. His pale eyes opened wide as he saw me. "A-Alice?" he gasped in astonishment.

I shook my head. "No, I'm her granddaughter, Lori. Though Grandpa Cam always said I was the spitting image of her when she was young. You—you're Mikhail, aren't you?"

He started, then said in astonishment, "Yes… yes, I am—but how did you know?"

I smiled. "Grandma told me all about you and her and Grandpa Cam. In fact," I said, tears springing to my eyes, "it was the last thing she did before she died. It was as if she passed on her story to me as a legacy… like she knew that she hadn't much time left, and didn't want the story to be forgotten."

He turned towards her grave. "She was… a lovely woman—a remarkable woman. Tell me… was she… was she happy? Did she have a good life?"

I nodded. "Yes, I think so. I know—kids usually just assume that about their elders. But Grandma just radiated happiness and comfort and joy. She… she was very sympathetic, she always seemed to understand other people's problems and know just how to comfort them. I loved her so much…." I wiped away the tears that wouldn't stay back any longer.

"Yes… she was a kind woman. If you know of our history… you know that I, too, loved her. She was my one and only love—my first and my last. I'm… glad that my sacrifice wasn't in vain. If she'd been unhappy… if her life had been miserable…."

"Not at all. I mean, no one can be perfectly happy _all_ the time, can they? Everyone experiences pain and heartache now and then. But… it's like thorns on roses. You put up with the thorns because the roses are so sweet, they're worth the pain. And I think her life was like that—the pain she'd had in her life just made all the good times so much sweeter to her. And I think, too, that her experiences, both happy and sad, were what made her so sympathetic. I think… she was content."

He nodded. "Yes, I believe you are right. Much like my pain made my music sweeter to others' ears." He lifted his instrument and gazed at it, then looked at me. "This violin… it's the same one my guardian gave me so very long ago. It was nearly a hundred years old then; now… now it's over one hundred fifty years. Yet it still makes beautiful music." With a sigh, he knelt down and placed the violin and bow on the fresh earth of her grave, in the midst of the roses mounded around it. Straightening up and staring down at her grave, he said, "Please, will you allow me to leave this here for her? My last gesture for one whom I loved so well."

"But… but won't you want it? How will you play without your violin?" I asked, startled by his request.

He shook his head. "I will play no more—with her passing, the music has gone out of my life." He turned away, though I saw a glimmer of fresh tears on his cheeks.

"You know," I said softly, "she's in a better place now…."

He turned and looked at me, his light blue eyes bleak. "No. Please, do not give me meaningless platitudes. I don't believe in an afterlife. I couldn't… I couldn't bear it… an eternity so near to her, yet so far—always removed from her…. No, my only hope lies in reincarnation. That somehow, someday, she and I will at last be united—our souls one day recognizing and calling out to each other, despite the passage of time."

Then he turned and slowly walked away as a light spring rain began to fall—even the angels themselves weeping for him in his loneliness.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> This is the last _full_ chapter of my fic. There will be an epilogue posted Thursday (Thanksgiving Day here in the US), after which Roses and Sonatas will be concluded. I'd like to thank all of you for reading it, and I'd especially like to thank those of you who've taken the time to post reviews: Mnema, Helen, SpaceDoobie, Hkofan, and McLovinGod. I've loved reading your thoughts and impressions, and I'm thankful that you took the time to share them with me.

There will be further stories for Harvest Moon down the road, but for the time being, I'm working on a few fics in Rune Factory 4. If you've enjoyed reading this fic, you might consider following me so that you can get notifications when I post new chapters. Either way, I hope to hear from you in the future!

Thank you! :)

**Disclaimer:** Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


	62. Epilogue

**AN:** With this epilogue, Roses and Sonatas is now complete. Thank you once more to all of you who've stuck with me through thick and thin all the way to this conclusion. I'm thankful for each and every one of you, especially those of you who took the time to let me know you enjoyed it. There will be more HM fanfictions down the road, possibly even a one-shot or so related to this fic, but at present I'm working on a few fics for Rune Factory. I hope to hear from some of you again with my other writings! Thanks again!

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><p>Every year on the anniversaries of their deaths, I go to visit Grandpa Cam's and Grandma Alice's graves, side by side in death as in life. I keep Grandpa's grave decorated with seasonal potted plants—the flowers he'd so loved all his life. But for Grandma's grave, besides pots of flowers, I'd had Mikhail's violin and bow bronzed and placed at the base of her marker, in order to preserve his final gift to her.<p>

While going through her things after her funeral, I had found the music that Mikhail had written for her twenty-fourth birthday, the pages now yellow with age, folded and tucked into the volume of Bashō. As a girl, I'd taken up the violin at her entreaty, and after her death I took it up again, playing on the instrument she'd willed to me. So whenever I visited her grave, I first lay a huge bunch of roses on her grave… then I played Mikhail's sonata for her, in honor of her love for two very different men.

This year—five years since she passed away—was a little different. I'd finally married my fiancé a couple of years ago, and this year I was joined by our infant daughter, whom we'd named Allison Mikhaila. Grandpa already had both a daughter and a grandson named for him, but Mikhail had never had the opportunity to have a namesake, and I didn't want _him_ to be forgotten, either—because he'd loved Grandma, too, and I know she'd loved him.

Although I knew my baby couldn't understand my words yet, nevertheless when I was finished placing the flowers and playing the piece of music, I sat on the soft green grass next to her carrier, which I'd set before Grandma's grave, and I lifted her out. I bounced her on my knee as she giggled and grinned her ecstatically happy, toothless grin, wriggling fingers and toes joyfully in the warm spring sunshine. Cuddling her in my arms, I looked down into her storm-blue eyes—just like mine and Grandma's.

Smiling down at her and tickling her chin, I began. "Young lady, did I ever tell you how your great-grandma came to marry your great-grandpa? Well, this is how the story went…."

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.


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